


Sanctified

by HIMluv



Series: Santa Sarita: Patron Saint of a Third Rate Smuggler [4]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Love Triangle, Pining, Secrets, Smut, Trust Issues, relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2018-11-09 05:16:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 114,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11097684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HIMluv/pseuds/HIMluv
Summary: A year after Reyes saved the Pathfinder from her own destructive behavior, they run into each other in a dive bar on Meridian. Neither of them ever expected to see each other again, let alone discover that feelings they'd long thought buried could resurface.





	1. Gravity

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Welcome back everyone! This story is finally coming together enough that I feel good about starting to post it! I hope you all are ready for some more Sara/Reyes! Thank you to everyone who's been following along, leaving kudos and comments! It's because of you that I keep writing this story.
> 
> I hope you like it!

Reyes sat at the bar, sipping his whiskey with care. It was better than Umi’s, but not by much. Normally he wouldn’t even be out of bed this early in the evening, but Meridian was a busy place that day, and there were people he’d rather not run into on his way to MacTavish’s. It was a dive by anyone’s standards, but that suited him just fine. It was quieter than Tartarus, and friendlier than Kralla’s. Plus it was the only bar that wasn’t built into the Hyperion.  
  
Meridian had come a long way in the year and half since the human Pathfinder had discovered it. The Hyperion had been built out into a full-blown colony, with buildings expanding further into the artificially grown paradise every week. Standalone buildings were housing more people than the ark these days, and the bulk of the human colonists were out of cryo. It was a bustling hive of human and alien activity, making it the perfect place for the Charlatan to fade into the background.  
  
That was why he was at MacTavish’s in the first place. He’d worked hard to blend in to the growing population, and drawing the attention of the dignitaries on the planet today would ruin his efforts. That and he really wanted to avoid a potentially painful reunion with the Pathfinder. Initiative brass was planetside today to celebrate the first human birth on Meridian. By all accounts, it was a momentous occasion, a milestone for not only humanity, but the Initiative as well, and so anyone who mattered had been invited. In fact, Keema and Christmas Tate were both in attendance. Keema had asked him to come with her, acting as her bodyguard, but he’d declined. She was adamant that he enjoy the splendors his efforts on Kadara could afford him, but by his reckoning, Kadara Port was well and truly hers now, there was no need for him to steal the limelight.  
  
Besides, what did he care for parties, rubbing elbows with people who would hate him if they knew who he truly was, when he had all of the Heleus Cluster at his fingertips?  
  
Meridian and the Initiative weren’t the only ones making strides in the last year. Since he’d said his final goodbyes to Sara, a year ago now, he realized, The Collective had expanded to have cells on every inhabited planet. Reyes had agents and informants everywhere, and none of them knew exactly who they reported to. It was a vast web of information and secrets to manage, but he found he was incredibly well suited to the task. In the months since he left Kadara, the Charlatan had become something of a ghost. Of his five original lieutenants only three remained, and aside from the Pathfinder team they were the only people in Andromeda who knew his real identity.  
  
Now, on Meridian, he could slip into blissful anonymity and truly work from the shadows, as he’d always intended. He just had to lay low for tonight, and avoid any unwanted attention.  
  
He had just ordered a refill when the door to the bar opened. A large group entered from the sound of their laughter. One laugh in particular carried through the room, like chimes on an afternoon breeze. Reyes froze, not trusting his ears.  
  
“Christ, Vetra,” Scott’s voice called over the calamity of the Pathfinder team. “Where have you brought us?”  
  
“Please,” Gil scoffed. “Like you have standards.”  
  
The group laughed, and there it was again, that magical sound from his memories.  
  
“I don’t care what it looks like, as long as it’s quiet,” she said, the low, raspy quality of her voice so familiar to him.  
  
“What’s the matter, Sis?” Scott teased. “Can’t handle the scary party?”  
  
“You try and enjoy yourself when you’re stuck with Tann, Addison, and Efvra.”  
  
They laughed some more, and approached the bar. Had she spotted him? Was she ignoring him? Or did she really just not care? Wouldn’t that be for the best? And yet the thought still cut him deeper than he cared to admit.  
  
“Well,” Liam said, suddenly close, only two stools down from Reyes. “At least you made the misery look good.” There was a suggestive quality to his voice that made Reyes’ stomach clench.  
  
There were groans and exaggerated gagging sounds from the group that made Liam and Sara laugh.  
  
When the bartender handed him his whiskey, Reyes downed it in one shot, then signaled for another. He wasn’t technically on the job right now, and if he was going to have to listen to the Pathfinder’s new boyfriend flirt, he was going to need a lot more whiskey. Perhaps the entire well.  
  
The barkeep, Dylan, poured his third drink and then moved down to help the newcomers, and of course, Sara went last. Moments later she was alone at the bar waiting for her drink, and Reyes couldn’t keep his eyes from glancing over at her.  
  
She was stunning. He knew the gala had been a formal event, but he never imagined she’d wear a gown. The slinky material clung to her curves, pooling at her feet, which he was amazed to see were in tall black heels. The dress was a shimmering aqua color, with long sleeves that fastened in loops around her thumbs. He could just see from his angle parallel to her that the back buttoned snug around her neck, but was cut to reveal her entire back, from her shoulder blades to just above the curve of her ass. Her hair had grown out, and it was in a loose side braid, cascading down the front of one shoulder, and when he glanced at her face, he was surprised to see make up on her skin.  
  
And then she caught him staring.  
  
She stared at him for a moment in return, those familiar blue eyes wide in surprise. It felt like an eternity spread across the bar, the weight of everything they’d had hanging between them, threatening to topple them, or to pull them back into that same unyielding gravity that always seemed to exist between them.  
  
Dylan sat her glass on the bar, and it broke the spell.  
  
“Vidal?” She asked. She slid down the bar toward him, and he stood to receive her.  
  
“Ryder,” he greeted, his hand extended for her to shake.  
  
Sara ignored it completely, and stepped in to hug him. It was quick; he barely had time to return it before she took a polite step back. Despite her powdered cheeks he could see the faint hint of the blush creeping up on them as he returned to his seat.  
  
“What are you doing here?” She asked, leaning an elbow on the bartop. He tried not to notice how that tilted her hips to the side, and how the fabric of her dress draped over the curve perfectly.  
  
He cleared his throat and returned to his drink. “I moved to Meridian a few months ago,” he said.  
  
“Really?” Her sandy brown brows climbed toward her hairline. “What about Kadara?”  
  
He glanced at Dylan, but the man was busy running dishes into the back. “The time finally came when I could cut the cord.” He considered his next words carefully. He didn’t want to make it seem like he was fishing for anything, or trying make her consider him again, but he also wanted to tell her the truth. “My work these days is fairly… mobile.”  
  
Something flickered in her eyes then, and Reyes swore it looked an awful lot like regret. “That’s really great,” she said. He knew her well enough to hear the way the cheer was forced. “You should get out there,” she added, her expression brightening. “Heleus is a beautiful place.”  
  
He smiled then, and he didn’t try to keep the sadness he felt from tinting it. “I’m sure it is.”  
  
The conversation lapsed after that, and they shared the bar in uncomfortable silence, both of them trying to find the words that seemed to be floating just out of their grasp.  
  
“How are you?” He finally asked, his voice low.  
  
She nodded, staring at her cocktail. “I’m good. We’re training more Pathfinder teams,” she said. She smiled, pride curling her lips and twinkling in her eyes. “Cora is getting her own command.”  
  
“Not Scott?” He asked, genuinely surprised.  
  
Sara rolled her eyes. “Please,” she said. “Gil’s not leaving the Tempest, and Scott’s not leaving Gil.”  
  
Reyes chuckled, but it fell flat against the weight that settled in his chest. “Good for them,” he added.  
  
“Yeah,” she murmured, then took a strong pull on her drink.  
  
He cleared his throat again. “I see you and Liam-”  
  
“Reyes,” she interrupted, her voice urging him not to go down that road. His name on her lips jolted through him. It called up memories of nights when she’d cried it out against his skin, when she’d murmured it as she fell asleep, when she’d told him goodbye that night in Ditaeon. He knew her voice would haunt him the rest of his days.  
  
He lifted his hands, feigning innocence. “I’m not trying to pry,” he said.  
  
She tilted her head, smirking at him from over the rim of her drink. “Why don’t I believe you?”  
  
“Because I’m lying,” he said, the grin coming unbidden to claim his lips. And just like that they fell back to their old jokes, smirking and laughing. How easy it was for them; how dangerous. But Reyes cut it short when he caught the wounded look in Liam’s eyes as he watched the Pathfinder from across the room. “I should go,” he said, standing.  
  
“Yeah,” she said, but she didn’t sound sure.  
  
Reyes paid his tab, relieved he’d kept to his three drink rule, otherwise he might have convinced himself that sleeping with the Pathfinder again would be a good idea. And even then, it was a damn close thing. “It was good to see you,” he said.  
  
“You too,” she replied. She smiled at him, and though it was sad, he saw the truth in her eyes. She stepped in to hug him one last time.  
  
“Goodbye, Sara,” he said, his arms wrapping around her loosely.  
  
“Goodbye, Reyes,” she whispered against his cheek and then she pressed her lips to his skin. It was chaste, a perfectly appropriate way to bid someone farewell, but it scorched into his skin and brought a flood of heat into his veins. A heat he hadn’t felt in a long time.  
  
She broke their hug and then spun away from him before he could react. She sauntered back to her crew, her heels clicking against the metal floor of the bar and the dress swaying in a delicious echo of her hips.  
  
Then Reyes left MacTavish’s before he could get himself into any more trouble.  
  
  


Sara was an idiot. It’d been a year since the Tempest had landed in Kadara, since Reyes had come to her rescue when she was out of her mind with guilt and grief. She’d moved on. As she sat in the booth beside Liam, she tried to focus on the conversation. Something about Sid helping Drack with Kesh’s clutch. On a normal outing Sara would live for this story, but at that moment she couldn’t escape thoughts of Reyes Vidal.  
  
She spun the silver ring on her right hand, a tell that Gil was still trying to break her of. She’d thought she’d conquered it, but running into her ex-boyfriend in the last place she expected him was bound to make a girl a bit jumpy.  
  
“You good?” Liam asked at her ear, one arm slung over her shoulder. The rest of the table was well into their drinks, and Vetra’s story was reaching its peak. The two of them could speak with relative privacy.  
  
His voice pulled her from her thoughts. She turned to smile at him. “Yeah,” she said. “I’m good.”  
  
He eyed her, unconvinced. “You’re sure? You did just run into your ex.”  
  
She furrowed her brow in mock confusion. “Is that what just happened? Damn,” she muttered, shaking her head. “I thought he was a shampoo salesman.”  
  
He backed off, pulling his arm from around her. “All right,” he griped. “You don’t want to talk about it, I got it.”  
  
Sara scowled at Liam, picking up on the jealousy rolling off of him. “Is this going to be a problem?”  
  
He shot a glance at her, one eyebrow raised. “Should it be?” He asked, the challenge clear in his voice.  
  
“Jesus, Liam.”  
  
“What?” He asked. “I’m not the one kissing my ex in public.”  
  
Sara crossed her arms. “You’re being ridiculous. I kissed him on the cheek to say goodbye.”  
  
“Why don’t you ever kiss me goodbye?” Scott asked, honing in on their drama. What did she ever do to deserve such a wonderful twin? His interruption couldn’t have been more timely.  
  
She frowned at him. “Because you know if you ever got your face that close to me, I’d punch it.”  
  
Her twin grinned. “Oh, yeah,” he said, and the whole table laughed.  
  
She turned back to Liam. “Can we talk about this later, please?”  
  
He deflated against the booth, his arm coming back to rest on her shoulder. “Yeah, all right.”  
  
  


By the time the Pathfinder team returned to Hyperion almost everyone was drunk. Sara was the only sober one, though she still walked barefoot through the ark, her heels dangling from one hand. Her other arm supported Liam as they stumbled their way to the Pathfinder’s quarters. The rest of the team broke off, heading to their own quarters or bunks on the Tempest.  
  
As she and Liam entered her quarters, SAM piped up.  
  
“Pathfinder, you have unread email at your private terminal.”  
  
Sara rolled her eyes. Half the time SAM announced messages she’d already skimmed through, knowing she needed to read them more in depth. But, if he was letting her know at two in the morning, it must be important.  
  
“It’s probably Reyes-fucking-Vidal,” Liam hiccuped.  
  
“Will you drop it already?” Sara glared at him as she helped him lay flat on the bed, his legs dangling off the end.  
  
“’You look like you’re waiting for someone’,” he said, in a terrible imitation of Reyes’ accent. Liam scrubbed at his face. “I can’t compete with that!”  
  
She stifled her laugh, knowing it would only hurt his feelings even more. Liam was more sensitive than he let on, especially when he was drunk. “Good thing you don’t have to, then,” she said, patting his thigh.  
  
He scoffed. “Did you see yourselves?” He asked.  
  
Sara wasn’t sure how to answer that, so she remained silent.  
  
“I haven’t seen you that relaxed since…” he trailed off. “Well, since you two broke up.”  
  
Sara frowned at him. “What are you talking about?” She worked at his laces, removing his dress shoes. “That was uncomfortable as hell.”  
  
Liam snorted, an ugly sound when he was already slurring his speech. “At first, maybe.” He waved a hand in the air vaguely, his wrist flopping. “But by the end? You’d fallen right back into the same routine.”  
  
Sara wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He wasn’t wrong. By the end of their reunion she and Reyes fell back into their flirtatious banter. It wasn’t consciously done, merely the way they communicated. But, she hadn’t considered how that would look and feel to Liam. Sara suddenly felt guilty; maybe Liam had a point. She’d seen Reyes and immediately forgotten that she’d gone to that sketchy dive bar to hang out with her friends in peace. She would have stood there talking to the Charlatan all night if he hadn’t decided to leave.  
  
A snore tore through the silent room, and Sara looked down to see that Liam had finally passed out for the night. With a sigh she unwound her braid, letting her sandy brown hair cascade in long waves down her back. Then she stood and changed into leggings and a tank top before checking her email.  
  
There was only one new email, and it was from Director Tann. She decided to ignore it for now. It was far too late to torture herself with some complaint from the salarian about how she’d left the party early. She sat on the couch, and glanced back at Liam to be sure he was still asleep. Another snore ripped from his throat. She was confident he wouldn’t wake up until well into the morning, so she opened her archived messages.  
  
She knew she should delete them. But, parting with the emails still seemed too painful. She didn’t look at them often, and she hadn’t opened one since she and Liam had started… whatever this was. Dating wasn’t quite the right word. They were together, exclusively, but she didn’t feel the same level of intimacy with him as she had with past boyfriends. That was probably her fault, she thought.  
  
She opened the last email he’d ever sent her.  
  


 

> _To: Sara Ryder_  
>  _From: Reyes Vidal_  
>    
> 
> 
> _I know you might not read this. Or, you might read it a hundred times. Either way, I know you won’t want to respond. Don’t._  
>  _I just… Well, I wanted to say that I’m sorry. For not being enough, for falling so short of what you wanted and deserved._  
>  _And, that I’m not sorry. Not for a single moment spent with you. Not for a single memory shared._  
>  _I just thought you should know that._  
>    
>  _Stay safe out there,_  
>    
>  _Reyes_  
>    
> 

He knew her so well. She had read it a hundred times, probably more. And she’d dreaded the thought of responding. His proclamation that she not respond only made her feel more guilty that she never had. He deserved a reply. But, if she’d replied to him then, the morning the Tempest had left Kadara Port, the morning after he’d stormed back into her life and yelled some sense into her, she would have lost her nerve. They would have succumbed to the gravity between them, and it would have only hurt more.  
  
So, she’d never written him back. She’d put all their emails in an archived folder, and tried to forget him. It’d taken longer than she expected for the ache in her chest, the hollow feeling in her stomach, to dissipate, but it finally did. And then six months ago she and Liam had sort of happened. A few too many bottles shared during another bad vid, and suddenly they were making out on his couch. It’d been so long for both of them that making out had inevitably led to sex.  
  
Sara had told herself that they would keep it casual, that she wasn’t ready for a relationship. But six months later they were still together, sharing a bed more nights than not. And it was good. She felt normal again, or at least, Liam made it easier to pretend she felt normal. In the last few weeks she found she pretended less and less, and something like contentment had seeped back into her life.  
  
And then she bumped into Reyes Vidal.  
  
Sara stared at her emails on her omnitool. She knew she needed to close the folder and go to bed, but as she sat there in the near dark of her room, listening to Liam’s rasping snores, she couldn’t bring herself to shutdown the device. Instead she read through more of their old correspondences, letting the memories of his words wash over her, bringing with them a distinct chill of longing in her veins.  
  
She still missed him, after all this time. She wondered what he was doing right then. Where did he live? Was he close by, lying awake, thinking about her too? Liam snored again, and the sound jolted Sara from her reverie. She blushed in shame, shutting down her omnitool, before she did something she would regret. Then she climbed into bed and turned out the light, determined not to see a familiar pair of golden eyes behind her eyelids.


	2. Signal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who commented or left kudos. I know I say this every author note, but you guys seriously keep me inspired. I hope you all like what's coming up! I'm excited!

“Shit,” Reyes grumbled as he rubbed at his face with his free hand. He’d been back at his place for almost four hours, desperately trying to focus on his work. Instead, he just kept replaying his run in with Sara, searching for any details he may have overlooked in the moment. She’d hugged him twice, the first time an impulsive slip on her part, if the blush was any indication. The second had been deliberate, just as her lips on his cheek had been. And then she’d fled back to the safety of her crew.  
  
What the hell did that mean?  
  
“Nothing,” he told himself. Again. It meant nothing, except that she’d been surprised to see him. Surprised and… pleased. Reyes groaned and let his head fall back against the wall. He sat in his bed, his back against the wall as he scoured over datapads, comparing and cataloging information on his omnitool. He wore nothing but his boxers, and his hair was still damp from the shower, which he’d needed after his encounter with Ryder.  
  
Where did she even get a dress like that? The Sara he knew would have felt horribly uncomfortable in something so revealing, in a dress that clung to her curves so… vividly. It made him wonder just how well he had really known her, and how much she must have changed in the last year.  
  
A warm breeze drifted in one of the two windows in his apartment. As with most things in Andromeda, it was Initiative made, a prefab that matched his place back in Kadara Port almost exactly. The only difference was that the bedroom was actually closed off from the rest of the flat. Reyes wasn’t sure which he liked better, but he wasn’t very attached to either of them.  
  
Keema had insisted on maintaining his apartment in the Port, in case he decided to “come home”, as she put it. But he’d brought all his belongings, besides furniture, with him to Meridian. Not that any visitor could tell. The apartment was barren, no decorations, no keepsakes, just the Initiative standard furniture and appliances. Anything of real value, material or sentimental, lived on his shuttle, which had a permanent pad in Hyperion.  
  
A knock at his front door startled him. He shut down his omnitool, and tucked the datapad under his mattress before stalking over to the door. He grabbed the pistol that was stationed on the entry table, and checked the security feed. The small screen displayed an image of the walkway in front of his apartment, and standing there was Keema Dohrgun in a luxurious angaran gown.  
  
“I know you’re awake,” she called. Her eyes found the camera and she smiled into it.  
  
He opened the door, and backed up to let her in.  
  
“You could have warned me you were coming to pay a visit,” he complained.  
  
“Did you really think I wouldn’t?” She asked as she glided past him and into the apartment.  
  
He sighed as he closed the door. “No,” he admitted. Keema was his closest, and only, friend in Andromeda. If she was on Meridian, she would visit him.  
  
The angara glanced around his living room, and clucked her disapproval. She turned her nebulous eyes on him. “Were you robbed?”  
  
He glared at her. “No,” he said, as he walked into his room to grab a shirt. Then he sauntered into the kitchen, his bare feet silent on the metal floor. “Drink?” He asked as he opened the refrigerator.  
  
“Please,” she replied, perching on the edge of the sofa.  
  
He picked a bottle of vendaon, a fermented fruit juice popular in angaran bars, and cracked it open for her.  
  
She raised an eyebrow as she took it from him.  
  
“What?” He asked as he slumped into the couch beside her, a beer of his own in hand.  
  
“It seemed you weren’t expecting me, and yet…” she raised the bottle and took a sip.  
  
Reyes rolled his eyes. “It’s something with flavor for mornings after I’ve ignored the three drink rule.”  
  
“Is that happening a lot these days?” She kept her tone blithe, but Reyes knew she was concerned.  
  
“No, Mother,” he teased.  
  
She reached out a hand and pinched his cheek. “And how is my little Charlatan?” She laughed as he batted her hand away. “Still painfully single?”  
  
“Christ, Keema,” he said. “Why are you so obsessed with my love life?” He ran a hand through his hair, the dark strands thick and wavy against his fingers.  
  
“You have one now?” She asked, surprised.  
  
“No,” he admitted. He’d had a few encounters with people willing to take the edge off with no strings attached, but no one had actually garnered more than a cursory glance from him. And since his arrival in Meridian he’d been busy orchestrating Collective agents and settling into his new routine. He had no time for trysts that his heart wasn’t really invested in anyway.  
  
Keema eyed him, her lips pursed. “If you’re still so hung up on her, you should have accepted my invitation tonight.” She grinned at him. “The Pathfinder was stunning this evening.”  
  
Reyes let his head fall back against the couch. “I know,” he said. “She came to MacTavish’s.”  
  
Keema turned to face him, her knees knocking against his in her haste. “Did you speak to her?”  
  
He nodded, dragging a hand over his eyes.  
  
“And?”  
  
He lifted his hand to look at his friend. “Surely you spoke with her at the gala.”  
  
Keema rolled her eyes. “Tann didn’t let her out of his sight, and Efvra frowned over her shoulder the entire time. Hardly an occasion to catch up as friends.”  
  
Reyes sighed. “She seems well,” he shrugged. He didn’t really want to say more on the subject, but now that Keema was in the apartment, there was no going back. “She’s been training new Pathfinder teams,” he added.  
  
“Was it awkward?” She asked.  
  
“At first,” he admitted. He smiled. “She hugged me, and even kissed my cheek goodbye.”  
  
Keema laughed, a gleeful sound. “I’m sure Kosta loved that!”  
  
Reyes turned piercing, golden eyes on the angara. “You knew?”  
  
She waved off his anger. “I only found out this evening. He was quite keen to keep the Pathfinder in his sight.” She took a sip of her vendoan. “That one has a jealous streak,” she said conspiratorially, her wide eyes staring into him. As ever, Keema saw more than he wanted to show.  
  
“Don’t we all,” Reyes murmured and took a swig from his bottle.  
  
  
  


Sara left Meridian with considerable mixed feeling. There was so much growth and wonder still waiting to be found. The planet called to her, begging her to explore. But more than that there was Harry, and his watchful eye over their cryogenically time-capsuled mother.  
  
That had been a rough discovery two months prior. She and Scott had spent a long evening sharing multiple bottles until they passed out in the Pathfinder’s quarters.  
  
_I never got the chance to tell Reyes,_ she thought. She stopped in her tracks. Why would she tell Reyes? She’d unlocked her father’s last memory after they’d broken up. After she’d left him. She couldn’t just drop all her heavy, Ryder family bullshit on him because she wanted to. She knew it would have helped, it would have made the hurt and confusion easier to bear, because that’s what Reyes did. He was supportive, and he had understood her almost instinctively.  
  
She stopped herself before she could compare Liam and Reyes. Nothing good would come from that path. Plus, that was a major contributor to her conflicted feelings. Reyes lived on Meridian now. No matter how populated the colony became, she would always look for him, wonder if he was lurking in some shadow, watching her pass him by. The thought made her want to run to her ship, just as much as it made her want to run to his arms.  
  
A warm hand clapped her on the shoulder.  
  
“You ready?” Liam asked. They stood at the foot of the Tempest’s ramp.  
  
She smiled at him. “Yeah.”  
  
Liam’s smile faded somewhat, worry pulling at the corners of his brown eyes. “We’re good, right?”  
  
“Yes, Liam,” she said, fighting back her frustration. It wasn’t at him, not really. But he had asked about forty times that morning.  
  
“I’m sorry, Sara,” he said as they ascended into the cargo bay. “I was a proper ass last night.” He looked down at his shoes, a hand rubbing the back of his neck. “You didn’t deserve it.”  
  
“I know,” she said. “I promise, you’re forgiven.” She lifted up onto her tip-toes, and pressed a chaste kiss to his full lips. She rocked back down and put on her best commander face. “Now get in there and prep for lift-off.”  
  
He grinned, a lazy curl of his lips as his eyes lit up at their joke. He offered her a half-assed salute. “Yes, Ma’am!” He spun on his heel and retreated to his room.  
  
Sara chuckled as she made her way to her room, and winced when Lexi’s voice called out from the medbay.  
  
“Ryder,” the doctor called. “A moment please?”  
  
Sara sighed, but pulled an about face and entered the sterile medical room. “What’s up, Lexi?”  
  
The asari shot her a knowing glance. “I hear you met up with Vidal while you were on shore leave.”  
  
Sara rolled her eyes; of course Scott would run to Lexi. “You make it sound premeditated.” She shrugged. “We happened to be at the same bar. We talked for a few minutes, it was awkward, we said goodbye. End of story.”  
  
Lexi considered her for a moment, steel gray eyes searching for any suggestion that Sara was oversimplifying the encounter. Which, Sara thought, she was. But the good doctor didn’t need to know that.  
  
“And you’re all right?”  
  
Sara knew that Lexi’s concern was genuine. The asari had taken Sara’s mental breakdown a year ago quite personally, beating herself up for being unable to help her charge through one of the most difficult times of her life. But, the Pathfinder knew that talking with Lexi about the sudden resurgence of memories and feelings for Reyes would only solidify them. It would give life to ideas that would be better snuffed out.  
  
“I’m fine,” she said. “It was weird,” she added. “And it didn’t help that Liam and I fought about it,” she admitted. It was always best to include kernels of truth in your lies. She’d learned a few things from Reyes during their time together.  
  
“Why did you fight?” Lexi cocked her head, the way she did when she was putting the pieces together before you could answer her.  
  
“I gave Reyes a goodbye kiss,” Sara said.  
  
Lexi’s eyes widened in surprise.  
  
“On the cheek!” She ran a hand through her hair. “No different than when I say goodbye to Sid or Gil.”  
  
The doctor squinted at her. “You haven’t been romantically involved with either of them.”  
  
“Whose side are you on?” Sara said.  
  
“Everyone’s,” Lexi laughed. “I’m the ship physician and psychologist. I am literally looking out for everyone’s best interests all the time.”  
  
“Oh, yeah,” Sara said with a smile. “I’m fine, Lexi. I promise.” She shook her head. “I’m just ready to get back to work. I’m sick of meeting with directors and politicians, I need to be out there, exploring.”  
  
“Patience, Ryder,” the doctor said. “You know the new Pathfinder teams need to finish their training before Tann will approve any new missions.”  
  
She rolled her eyes. “I know.” She looked at Lexi knowingly. “Liam and Vetra are begging to go to the Nexus, so that’s our next stop.”  
  
Lexi smiled. “Perfect,” the doctor purred. “Drack is long overdue for a check-up.”  
  
“I figured as much.” Sara shrugged. “Old man is worse about doctors than Peebee.”  
  
“I heard that!” Peebee called from the crew quarters across the hall.  
  
Lexi and Sara laughed, and then the Pathfinder excused herself to her quarters to prepare for the eight hours of flight. She’d need the time to sort through her messy thoughts before she had to be the Pathfinder again.  
  
  
  


Reyes woke earlier than usual the next day. He had a shipment coming in from Elaaden, and his Meridian agents were still a little green. He preferred to be at the more sensitive drops in person if he could. None of the agents knew him as more than Reyes, though they knew he was a high ranking member of the Collective. That earned him the deference he required to move freely through the colony, and provided him an opportunity to weed out any untrustworthy members.  
  
He moved in a haze as he brewed coffee and opened a protein bar. He really should take better care of himself; protein bars and whiskey was not a nutritionally sound diet. But it always seemed he didn’t have time for a proper meal. He threw the wrapper in the trash as he chewed the final bite of the bar, and poured a mug of steaming coffee.

  
A quick glance in the mirror to be sure his hair stayed in place, and then Reyes stepped out into the bright daylight of Meridian. The breeze was cool and fresh; a perfect spring day. It was still weird to him. After more than two years on Kadara, he’d been accustomed to the oppressive summer heat and sulfurous aroma of his home in Andromeda. It clung to him in a way that was comforting, like a lover’s embrace.  
  
Sara came to his mind, unbidden. He saw her again in that spectacular dress, smelled the mint that mingled in her hair, and heard her low, husky voice say his name. Details he hadn’t noticed in the moment were clear in his memory. The sparkle of the silver hoops in her ears, the glint of her ring back in its customary spot on her middle finger, the ripple of the muscles in her back as she walked away from him.  
  
He took a deep breath and shoved thoughts of the Pathfinder from his mind. He had work to do.  
  
As he entered the designated docking bay he recognized two of his agents. The first was a young human woman, Rachel Conrad, though she offered the name Fox whenever she introduced herself. The second was a tall turian, even by their standards. His full name was Rhylen Veritas, but he only went by his last name.  
  
Reyes nodded to them both as he approached. “ETA?” He asked, eying the empty landing pad. They should have been unloading the cargo already.  
  
Veritas flared his mandibles, letting his frustration show. “Had a run in with customs,” he admitted. “Should land in five.”  
  
“What was the problem?”  
  
Fox crossed her arms and leaned against the rail. “Fucking asari couldn’t remember her call sign.”  
  
He pulled up his omnitool and swiped through the data to find the name of the pilot in charge of the drop. “Mira V’Tero.”  
  
Fox snorted. “Yeah, she’s ‘tero-ble’.”  
  
Veritas and Reyes leveled unamused glares in the human’s direction.  
  
She nodded. “Yeah, I’ll shut up now.”  
  
“Probably for the best,” Reyes said, typing away on his omnitool. He caught the charged glance between the agents, and fought back a smirk. They assumed he was reporting the delay to the Charlatan, which technically he was. He was making a note to find alternate work for V’Tero, something with fewer moving parts since memorizing her call sign was too much for her.  
  
The thrum of shuttle engines announced the arrival of their shipment. He hung back as the two agents moved forward to begin unloading. The asari stepped down the cargo ramp, and blanched when she saw Reyes. He waved her over, his face carefully blank.  
  
“Vidal,” she said as she approached. She cleared her throat to banish the tremor in her voice. “What can I do for you?”  
  
“Send me the shipping manifest,” he said. He watched as her shaking fingers typed in the command on her omnitool, and then his pinged with the received message. He read through it quickly. The majority of it was dry goods, some krogan plants for discerning clients, and three cases of ryncol for distribution amongst Meridian’s bars. There were two crates listed as “medicinal”, however, and Reyes knew that one of them was filled with freshly manufactured Oblivion.  
  
Elaaden still had the smallest population in Heleus, and offered almost as many places to hide as Kadara. The bulk of Oblivion manufacturing had been moved there almost six months ago. Manufacturing could never be anything more than small scale on Meridian, so the Collective preferred to ship the product in. Plus, control of such an addictive substance was critical. That’s why Reyes was overseeing this drop in person.  
  
He nodded to himself. The manifest was detailed and well structured, organized and clean, the way Reyes liked his work. He would tell Mira she’d done well, if she hadn’t almost bungled the actual delivery. He waved for her to follow him, and they walked further from the ship.  
  
“I’m sorry,” she stammered once they were out of earshot of the other two agents.  
  
Reyes spun on her. “Did you write this manifest?”  
  
She stared at him for a moment, apparently thrown off by his question. “Yes.”  
  
“It’s well done,” he said, looking back at it.  
  
She shrugged, a purple hue tinting her cheeks. “I like numbers and organization.”  
  
“What happened with customs?”  
  
She winced. “I was nervous,” she admitted. “I’m not good with people. They don’t make sense... or, I don’t make sense to them.”  
  
He nodded, already writing a message to one of his lieutenants on Elaaden. “Go to these coordinates,” he said. The asari’s omnitool pinged. “A krogan named Wreav is expecting you. He has the details of your reassignment.”  
  
“Reassignment?” she asked.  
  
Reyes looked her in the eye, his expression purposefully cold. “Errors like that can ruin the Collective,” he told her. The steel in his voice wasn’t forced; they didn’t have room for such simple mistakes. “But, the Charlatan hates to let talent go to waste.” He looked away, eying the other two agents as they continued unloading and inventorying the shipment. “Attention to detail and organizational skills are always needed.” And with the relatively new manufacturing facility on Elaaden, he could use someone to inventory product and manage shipments.  
  
V’Tero relaxed, her shoulders dropping and a deep breath leaving her. “Thank you,” she said.  
  
He shook his head. “Don’t thank me,” he said. “I suggested termination.” He loved it when he had the opportunity to further distance himself from the Charlatan.  
  
She put a hand on Reyes’s arm. “Tell them ‘thank you’.”  
  
Reyes ignored her request, giving a pointed glance to her hand on his harm. She removed it quickly, and he returned his attention to his omnitool. “You’ve got two hours before you need to leave. How you spend it is up to you.” He didn’t say anything else to the asari, and moved off to check in with Fox and Veritas. “Well?”  
  
“Everything’s accounted for,” the turian said. His voice reverberated through the air, matter of fact.  
  
Reyes nodded and was about to speak when his omnitool pinged. He opened the email, surprised to hear from this particular lieutenant. He stared at the message, reading it several times.  
  
“What is it?” Fox asked when she noticed that Reyes still hadn’t looked up from his email. Veritas punched her lightly in the arm; asking questions like that could be dangerous. But Reyes was too distracted to reprimand her.  
  
“You’ve got this under control?” He asked, his the impatience in his voice making it clear that any answer in the negative would be unacceptable.  
  
“We got it,” Veritas said with a curt nod.  
  
Reyes marched from the docking bay, looking at the message one more time.  
  
  


> _To: Reyes Vidal_  
>  _From: Kalla Pok_  
>    
>    
> 
> 
> _We found the signal._


	3. Collide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: All right! Thanks everyone for kudos and comments! You all are great! Just one more "slow" chapter and we're back to the fun stuff! There's more plot in this fic than the previous installments, and that takes some developing time. Thanks for reading!

Sara’s meeting with Tann had been even less interesting than usual. He’d spent the first twenty minutes chastising her for leaving the party on Meridian early, then he started in on Efvra and how the Resistance leader was impossible to get along with. The irony was completely lost on him. By the time the salarian got around to actually telling her what he wanted, Sara was contemplating stabbing her omniblade into her own neck.  
  
Thankfully, she could now put the business side of her visit to the Nexus behind, at least for the evening. She lifted a hand, about to press the call button on the apartment door when it opened for her.  
  
“Ryder!” A chorus of rough, high-pitched voices greeted her, followed by a deep, sonorous chuckle that felt more like home than her father’s laugh ever had.  
  
Sara braced herself for the collision she knew was coming. A herd of small krogan scampered across the apartment and tackled her to the ground.  
  
“Oof!” The wind was knocked from her as she fell back, twelve little hands bunching in her clothes.  
  
“You’re back!”  
  
“Where’d you go this time?”  
  
“Did you bring us anything?”  
  
And on and on, until Sara was laughing under a squirming pile of her krogan godchildren.  
  
The floor shook as Drack approached them. “That’s enough,” he said, collecting his great grandchildren to let them perch on his shoulders and cling to his armor. “What did I tell you about humans?”  
  
“That they’re meat!” Brax shouted from his spot on Drack’s shoulder.  
  
“They’re squishy,” Braka added from the other shoulder, not to be outdone by her brother. Though all six of the small krogan were clutchmates, Brax and Braka looked the most alike and were closest in age; they’d hatched only two minutes apart.  
  
“They only have one set of organs,” Greva added. She was the most like Kesh, with her blue-gray hide and quiet eyes that saw everything. She was also the smartest, already getting into more trouble than Drack was prepared for. He was so proud of her.  
  
“Good,” Drack told them. “So, what’s that mean?”  
  
Dorn and Korda looked at each other. They were both an earthy green color, with tan tinted bellies. Though they were the furthest apart in age, they were the closest of the clutchmates. Sara thought of them as twins, because they had a habit of conferring with one another, and letting one speak for the both of them, much as she and Scott did as children.  
  
“They are easily killed,” Dorn said.  
  
“And that we should be careful with the ones we like,” his sister added.  
  
Sara stood, out of breath from laughing, and hefted Varn up onto her hip. He was the most like his father, quiet, inquisitive, and well-intentioned.  
  
He leaned in to whisper in her ear, his hand covering his mouth from his siblings’ view. “I think we should be careful with everyone.”  
  
Sara smiled at him. She didn’t have favorites, because that would be wrong. But if she did, her favorite would be Varn. “I think so too,” she whispered back, rubbing her nose against his snout.  
  
The little krogan smiled, though with his teeth coming in, it looked rather ferocious.  
  
“Did you come just to stand there, softening that pup up, or are you gonna hug your favorite krogan?”   
  
Sara smiled, the first genuine grin she’d felt in a while, and set Varn down. She stepped into Drack’s open arms, wrapping her own as far around him as they would go. It was a suffocating hug, and she felt a couple tight vertebra pop with the pressure, but Drack released her before he did any permanent damage.  
  
“See?” He crowed, clapping Sara on the shoulder. “That’s how you greet your Aunt Ryder.” Never mind that her knees had nearly buckled under the weight of his hands.  
  
Six heads nodded that they understood.   
  
Sara stepped farther into the apartment, and caught a whiff of something delicious. “What’re you making?”  
  
Drack chuckled. “Thought you might miss my cooking,” he said with a shrug.  
  
Sara followed him into the kitchen, the children following in their wake. “You know I do,” she said with a huff as she sat on a stool at the kitchen counter. “Scott’s taken over kitchen duties.”  
  
“Huh.”  
  
“Yeah,” she said. “It’s awful.”  
  
Drack shook his head as he checked on whatever was in the oven. “I knew I should have taught that kid a thing or two before I left.”  
  
She steepled her hands, as if in prayer. “Please, Drack. It’s not too late.” She pushed her lips out in an exaggerated pout. “He can still learn.”  
  
Drack frowned at her. “You smell this?”  
  
She nodded that she did.  
  
“That can’t be taught in a weekend, kid.” He shook his head again, but opened the fridge to retrieve a beer for her. He cracked it open with his bare hands, then poured a ryncol for himself. “Cooking is a skill. It develops over time, and time isn’t something a have a lot more of.”  
  
Sara looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear.  
  
“Woah, woah, woah,” he said, his hands urging her to calm down. “Not like that, at least not yet.”  
  
“Lexi says your overdue for a check up.”  
  
He growled. “Yeah, I suppose I am.” He downed his drink. “But, we both know nothing’s changed.” He turned a yellow eye on her. “I’m old, Ryder. Much older than most.” He laughed. “Hell, I’ve outlived some asari I’ve known!”  
  
She rolled her eyes; he loved to talk about how old he was. “I know, old man. Let’s just try and keep it that way, huh?” She took a drink of her beer. “Make an appointment with Lexi. She’d love to see you.”  
  
He stared at her, his gaze unwavering, and then he sighed. “Fine,” he grumbled. He refilled his glass, and took a drink before looking back at her. “Now, enough about me, how was the party?”  
  
Sara winced. She was hoping to avoid talking about Meridian, mainly because Drack always saw through her bullshit. And unlike Lexi, he called her on it.  
  
“That bad, huh?”  
  
She shrugged. “I couldn’t ditch Tann, Addison, or Efvra the whole night. So, we ditched the whole party and went to some dive Vetra knew about.”  
  
He grunted, and waited for her to continue. When she didn’t he turned his head to look at her with one judgmental eye. “Anything else you want to tell me?”  
  
“Ugh!” Sara groaned, letting her head fall to the counter. “Vetra already told you.”  
  
“No,” he said. “She told Sid before you even left Meridian.”  
  
“I hate the Nyx sisters,” Sara mumbled into the counter. Drack chuckled at that, and then there was a tug at her elbow. Varn was there, begging to be let up into her lap. She helped him clamber up to sit at the counter with her, and then the remaining children began fighting for the remaining two stools.  
  
Even as one year olds, krogan were intense fighters. Brax and Braka, always in competition with one another, duked it out with their fists. While the two were distracted, Greva pushed a crate over so she could climb onto a stool by herself. Meanwhile, Korda and Dorn worked together to share the remaining stool. The duel between the two remaining kids went on for another two minutes before Braka won with a decisive head-butt.  
  
Drack laughed as Brax yowled, clutching his forehead. “Look what fighting got you,” he said, pointing to the full seats. “That’s what I’m trying to teach you brats. Use your head for more than fighting; you’ll go farther.”  
  
Braka began to whine, but a snarl from her great grandpa silenced it. “You lost,” he said. “Learn from it, and do better next time.”  
  
Sara hid her smile by taking a drink of her beer. She knew better than to try and intervene with Drack’s parenting methods. Plus, he raised Kesh, and she’d turned out great. He had way more experience than Sara did, so she kept her mouth shut and eagerly awaited dinner.  
  
He checked the oven again. A fresh wave of steam billowed out from the oven, and the smell made Sara’s stomach growl.   
  
“Almost there,” he promised with a smile. He turned back to her. “So, are you going to tell me about it, or do I have to force you.”  
  
And she thought she’d got away with it. She sighed. “It was nothing,” she said.  
  
“Uh-huh.”  
  
“We chatted for a couple minutes, and then he left.”  
  
“And somewhere in there you kissed him and got in a fight with your boyfriend over it.”  
  
Sara scoffed. “`Fight’ is a strong word.”  
  
“So you did kiss him?”  
  
She let her head fall back in frustration. “On the cheek! To say goodbye!” She glared at him. “Why is this so hard for everyone?”  
  
Drack shrugged. “Probably because we all know you’re still hung up on him.”  
  
“What?” She shook her head. “That’s crazy. It’s been over a year since we broke up.” She took an angry pull on her beer bottle.  
  
The krogan nodded. “And when was the last time you looked at those emails you’ve got archived?”  
  
Sara nearly spat her beer across the kitchen. She spluttered for a moment, her cheeks flushing as Drack laughed openly. “How do you-?”  
  
“You can’t fool me, kid.”  
  
She covered her face with her hands. “Is this the part where you give me sage, fatherly advice?”  
  
“Ha! Sure,” he said. “But you won’t like it.”  
  
“I don’t like anything about this conversation,” she groused.  
  
He shrugged and finished his drink. “I never was the biggest fan of Kosta,” he said. His voice was calm, free of the derision he usually reserved for their squadmate. He had always found Liam irritating. “He’s hotheaded, impulsive, and a risk-taker,” he said. “That’s how squishy things get dead.” He glared at her. “I’d prefer you not be dead.”  
  
Sara rolled her eyes. She and Liam were a good team on the field, his stunning strikes complimenting her biotics and setting up Scott’s headshots. “The same complaints as usual,” she said. “What’s Vidal got to do with it?”  
  
Drack poured himself another glass of ryncol. The krogan would drink more of the stuff over dinner than the bottle suggested in a twenty-four hour period. “Look, kid,” he started. “I’m old. I’ve seen a lot a shit, and I’ve done a lot of living.” He sighed, and took a drink. “But when you love someone, and then they’re gone?” He shook his head, his voice heavier than she’d ever heard it before. “They take something of you with them. You walk around a little bit less than you were before.”  
  
She watched him, suddenly unable to look away from the krogan who had been more of a father to her in the last two years than Alec had ever been. “What are you saying?” She asked, though she thought she got the point.  
  
“You haven’t been quite the same since you broke things off with Vidal.” He took another drink. “I know it, Scott knows it, and Liam knows it.” He stared her down with an unblinking yellow eye. “And I think you do too.”  
  
Sara stared at him, trying to think of something to say. But there was nothing she could say, no argument to be made. Drack was right, but that didn’t mean she knew what to do about it.   
  
The kitchen was silent for a while, but Varn had leaned forward to hold Sara’s hand. For now his green-mottled hand was small in hers, but she knew that all too soon it’d dwarf hers. This small, sensitive being in the body of a wrecking crew knew so little of the world, and yet could recognize her discomfort and wanted to ease it with the only thing he could offer; his hand.  
  
She almost cried at the tenderness of the moment, but then Drack opened the oven and withdrew one of the biggest roasts Sara had ever seen. All the children but Varn cheered, even Brax and Braka, where they sat at the table.  
  
“Who’s hungry?” Drack called to the room. He grinned as his great grandchildren clamored for their food, and Sara knew the serious moment was over. His duty as her surrogate dad was done. He’d imparted his wisdom, it was up to her if she wanted to learn from it.  
  
  
  


Sara was ready to pass out when she got back to the Tempest. Drack had sent her home with leftovers, and though she couldn’t bear the thought of eating more at the moment, she knew she’d be grateful for them in the coming days. Between her full belly and the energy Kesh’s kids required, Sara was exhausted.  
  
She suppressed a groan when she stepped into her room to find Liam awake, watching a vid.   
  
“Hey,” he said over his shoulder. She almost couldn’t hear him over the fiery explosion on screen. He paused the movie as she plopped down onto the couch next to him. “How was dinner?” He asked.  
  
She groaned, rubbing her stomach appreciatively. “So good.”  
  
Liam laughed. “We didn’t get along that well, but I sure miss his cooking.”  
  
“Me too,” she said. “I tried to convince him to give Scott lessons, but he basically said it’s hopeless.”  
  
“Finally,” he said. “Something we can agree on!”  
  
Sara smiled at him, his arm looping over her shoulder to pull her against his side.  
  
“And how are the kiddos?” He asked.  
  
“They’re growing so fast! Varn is the size of my entire torso.” She shook her head. “I don’t think I’ll be able to pick him up next time.”  
  
“That’s tragic,” he said.  
  
“I know,” she sighed. She considered Liam, curious that he hadn’t told her about his meeting with APEX yet. Kandros had emailed him a week ago, and it was why Liam was so eager to return to the Nexus. She watched him take a drink of his beer, waiting until he was mid-swallow to ask, “What did Kandros want?”  
  
Liam almost choked, and he coughed for a moment before he found his voice. “Uh… It was nothing, really.”  
  
“That important, huh?”  
  
“Sara,” he said, his voice chiding. When she didn’t look away, he looked at his lap and rubbed his neck, embarrassed. “He wanted to talk about training an Initiative HST-1 team.”  
  
She leaned back to get a better look at him. “That’s great, Liam!” Why didn’t he seem happy about it? This was what he wanted, what he’d promised his old team back in the Milky Way. “Isn’t it?”  
  
He wouldn’t look at her, but he nodded. “Yeah,” he said. He took another sip of his beer. “There’s just a lot to think about.”  
  
“Like what?” She turned to face him, tucking her legs under her.  
  
“Well,” he started. “I don’t even know who I’d consider for the team, for one.”  
  
“Okay,” she said. “But that’s easily resolved. I’m sure Kandros and Tann have dossiers of potential candidates.”  
  
“Yeah,” he said, his eyes far away. “I’d have to leave the Pathfinder team,” he whispered after a moment.  
  
“Ah.” That was the real problem, the reason he was unsure. “We always knew that’d be the case,” she said.  
  
“Yeah, but that was before.” He tugged at his hair in frustration.   
  
Before me, she thought.  
  
“Liam,” she said. “This is what you’ve wanted since you got out of cryo.”  
  
“I know,” he said, still not looking at her.  
  
Sara reached out and turned his face to look at her. “You can’t pass this up because of me,” she told him.  
  
His brow furrowed. “It’s that simple for you?”  
  
“Yes,” she said. “I’ll miss you, and it’ll be an adjustment fighting without you, knowing you’ve got my back,” she said. “But, if that’s the price of fulfilling your promise, then I’ll manage.”  
  
He stared at her for a moment, his brown eyes searching her face. He was about to speak when her omnitool beeped.  
  
“Shit,” she murmured. “Sorry.” She opened the message, and was surprised to see the sender.  
  
  


_To: Sara Ryder_   
_From: Reyes Vidal_   
  
  


> _Pathfinder,_   
>    
>  _We need to talk. I have information you want. Meet me tomorrow, 11am NST. Coordinates attached._   
>    
>  _-C_   
>    
>    
>    
> 

“What is it?” Liam asked after a moment. He leaned over to read the message over her shoulder, and Sara was too late to minimize the screen. “Are you serious?” Liam stared at her. “You bump into him for the first time in a year, and now he’s emailing you?”  
  
“Liam,” she started.  
  
“Don’t make excuses,” he threatened.  
  
“I’m not.” She glared at him, and when he didn’t protest she continued. “He signed it as the Charlatan, addressed it to the Pathfinder.” She put a hand on his chest, trying to calm him down. “It’s business.”  
  
“Yeah?” He asked. “And how does he sign it when it’s personal?”  
  
She glared at him, wondering if she should answer the question. But, succumbing to Liam’s taunts would only spiral this blossoming fight out of control.  
  
After a moment of silence, Liam sighed. “Are you going to meet him?”  
  
“Why wouldn’t I?”  
  
He leveled a cold look at her.  
  
“Personal history aside,” she said. “The Charlatan is an ally.” She shrugged, trying to seem much more nonchalant than she felt. “If he as intel for us, I’m going to meet with him.”  
  
He considered her for a moment. “I’m going with you,” he said finally.  
  
“Of course you are,” she said as she sent a generic affirmative response back.   
  
“What? Really?”  
  
She shot him a small smirk. “Scott, too,” she said. “We’re treating this like any other ground mission, just in case.” That was actually the last thing she wanted. Having an audience scrutinizing her every interaction with Reyes sounded like hell, but she knew it was the only way to placate Liam. Adding Scott would just help keep her boyfriend from blowing up on her ex.  
  
She pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. “Now, let’s finish this movie and get some sleep. We’ve got somewhere to be tomorrow.”  
  
Liam smiled, and dipped in for another kiss.   
  
And though her mouth responded, her hands even gripping his shirt as his tongue traced her bottom lip, Sara couldn’t help but wonder just what the Charlatan had in store for her.


	4. Gamble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you all so much for your continued love and support of Santa Sarita. It means more to me than you know. Now, I hope you're ready for some plot!

Reyes considered himself a gambling man, but this was a big risk even for him. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d rolled the dice with Sara and lost, though he didn’t think he could ever lose as big as he had that night in Ditaeon. The sight of her panting on the catwalk, blood drying on her top lip, the warm night breeze playing with her ponytail was an image that was burned into his brain.  
  
And one he didn’t have time for right then.  
  
“Focus,” he said. She would be there any minute. And, knowing her, she was already outside, waiting for it to be exactly 11 o’clock to open the door.  
  
Reyes forced himself to sit in one of the Initiative standard armchairs. The apartment belonged to one of his agents on the Nexus. It had been a simple thing to demand the space for the morning, and the agent was a good one. They’d disabled all cameras and recording devices, though Reyes wasn’t foolish enough not to do his own sweep. The apartment was clean, and he made a note to reward his agent handsomely.  
  
The door hissed open, revealing the Ryder twins and Kosta. Reyes ignored the sharp clench in his gut as he met the man’s eyes, and kept his face blank. This wasn’t a personal call, he should have expected she’d bring backup. She was meeting the nefarious Charlatan, after all.  
  
He stood to greet her. “Ryder,” he said, his voice carefully neutral, though not unfriendly. “Thank you for meeting me.”  
  
“Vidal,” she said with a nod, stepping forward to shake his hand. She didn’t wear any armor and she didn’t appear to be armed, but Reyes knew that she was always dangerous. Especially if she still used that biotic amplifier he gave her. Kosta, who stood just to her right, had a pistol in a holster on his thigh, and his customary dual omniblades.  
  
And on her left was Scott, looking torn by the professional tone of the meeting. Reyes and Scott had never been on anything but good terms, even after Sara had left him. It was obvious that her twin wanted to treat the Charlatan as the friend that he was, but that it would be inappropriate in the moment. Reyes understood how he felt. It was hard to be so cool and efficient with Sara.  
  
“What’s so important that you came all the way to the Nexus to meet in person?” She asked, walking further into the room. She scanned the apartment, though he wasn’t sure what she was looking for. He took no offense either way, she was just being thorough, something he appreciated wholeheartedly.  
  
“Please, sit,” he said, motioning to the chairs and sofa in the center of the room. “Would anyone like a drink?” He asked as he moved to the kitchen and poured a glass of whiskey.  
  
“I’ll take one,” Scott said from the couch.  
  
Reyes smirked as he caught Sara glaring across the coffee table at her twin. But Scott appeared unfazed by the Pathfinder’s ire, so he poured the drink.  
  
“I thought this was a business call?” Liam asked, his voice rough in his throat.  
  
“It is,” Reyes assured him. He sat in the chair adjacent to the Pathfinder after handing Scott his drink. “But, it could also be a cause for celebration.” He smirked at Sara, and she narrowed her eyes at him. Those blue eyes with the green centers that he missed so much.  
  
“Enough with the theatrics, Reyes.” She ran a hand through her hair. “What’s this about?”  
  
He ignored the way his stomach fluttered when she said his name. Reyes could over-analyze it later, right now the Charlatan needed to show his hand.  
  
“Since you defeated the Archon, there have been rumors that the Quarian ark is somewhere in Andromeda.” He glanced at her, but Sara had been practicing her poker face. No doubt he had Gil to thank for that. “Very intriguing rumors.”  
  
“Why does the Collective care?” She asked. He smiled, still proud of her. By asking that question she kept him talking, and avoided divulging the truth herself.  
  
But, the truth wasn’t something he could give her, not in present company. He doubted Liam wanted to hear how he worried the Initiative would send her away from Heleus. How he wanted to know as much about the galaxy beyond their home as he could, in case she was ever sent so far into the unknown. No, the truth wouldn’t work here.  
  
“Information is our currency,” he said. “We’ve been scanning the edges of Heleus for months now.” He shrugged. “We weren’t necessarily looking for the Keelah Si’yah, but if we found it…?” He grinned.  
  
“Good for business no matter what you find,” Scott said, and then took a sip of his drink.  
  
Reyes nodded. “Good, indeed.”  
  
Sara considered him, those eyes searching his face. He could tell she knew that wasn’t the whole truth of it. Even after all this time she could tell when he was lying.  
  
“And did you?”  
  
“What?” He asked, feigning misunderstanding.  
  
She glared at him. “Did you find the ark?”  
  
He winked at her, and he could practically feel the rage boiling off of Kosta. Reyes was having much more fun than he intended, but he needed to rein it in. If he pissed her off he would lose, and losing wasn’t an option this time. He cleared his throat, and took a drink from his whiskey glass.  
  
“We think so,” he said finally.  
  
“Holy shit,” Scott breathed.  
  
“I don’t believe it,” Liam announced.  
  
Sara silenced him with a glance. Reyes took note of the tension, and tried not to feel relief that it existed. Apparently not all was well between the two, though he knew his presence must have a lot to do with it.  
  
“What do you mean, ‘you think so’?”  
  
He leaned forward and opened a datapad. “SAM?” He asked.  
  
“Hello again, Mr. Vidal.”  
  
“Hello,” he said. “Could you project this image?” He asked. “If that’s all right with the Pathfinder, of course,” he added.  
  
Sara frowned at him, but sighed. “Go ahead.”  
  
“Of course I can Mr. Vidal.” A moment later all three of their omnitools lit up with an orange image of a star system.  
  
Sara gasped as she took it in, her eyes scouring the image. Scott shook his head, amazed, while Liam just scowled.  
  
“Where is this?”  
  
The wonder in her voice set his heart racing, and he couldn’t help but smile. “The star’s official name is V428, but we’re calling the cluster Alcaeus.”  
  
“Heleus’ brother,” Scott added.  
  
Sara and Liam stared at him, and even Reyes arched a dark brow in surprise.  
  
“What?” He asked defensively. “I read things sometimes!”  
  
Sara pulled an impressed face. “I just thought it was Blasto novelizations, not Greek Mythology.”  
  
“Hey,” he said. “I don’t make fun of your interests.”  
  
Sara was about to argue when Liam leaned forward. “Can we please get back to the Quarian ark?” He glared at the twins, and when neither argued he nodded for Reyes to continue.  
  
“One of my lieutenants reported the Quarian signal yesterday at approximately three o’clock Nexus Standard Time.” He took a sip of his whiskey. “It’s faint, and took quite an effort to track, but we’ve double checked it. It’s coming from that star system.”  
  
“How sure are you?” She asked.  
  
“Sure enough that I wanted to tell you in person,” he said, his voice low and velvety. This information was something Sara would love, something important to her. Liam’s comfort at the situation could go to hell.  
  
“Why did you come here?” Her boyfriend asked.  
  
Reyes glanced at him. “Would you have accepted the information sent through an encrypted email terminal?” He shrugged. “It’s hard enough to convince you the information is good in person.” He looked back at Sara. “Why would I risk the safety of the ark by passing it through such impersonal channels?”  
  
She considered him for a moment and he met her gaze. As he looked into her eyes, he wondered if she felt as uncomfortable as he did. If looking into his soul was as familiar and enticing for her. If it hurt and felt good at the same time, like the heat of the shower after a trip to Voeld.  
  
“What’s the catch?” She asked finally.  
  
He smirked. He should of known she’d catch on to him, especially after looking at his face for so long. She always knew when he kept something from her, which was almost always.  
  
“Let me come with you,” he said.  
  
Liam leaned forward, as if he would launch himself across the coffee table. “No way,” he snapped.  
  
Sara turned a cold gaze on the man, but he didn’t back down. Scott tugged at his elbow, pulling him back into the couch. When he finally sat back Scott leaned in to murmur at his ear. Reyes wanted to listen, to watch her twin’s lips to try and guess what he was telling her lover, but he kept his eyes on the Pathfinder.  
  
He’d rolled the dice, now he just had to wait an see if he won.  
  
“Why?” She asked, her voice not as strong as it was a moment ago. He saw a flash of pain in her eyes, and he knew she was thinking of the same memory. Of the two times she’d offered to take him with her through Heleus, when things had been so much different.  
  
When they were so much better.  
  
He shrugged. He didn’t think she’d believe his attempt at nonchalance, but he would keep up appearances. “I’m completely mobile now. As long as there’s QE, I’m in business.”  
  
She shook her head, her ponytail flicking over one shoulder. “Not how,” she said, the strength returning to her raspy voice. “Why?”  
  
She stared at him, and he wondered what she saw in his eyes. Did she see a year’s worth of regret? A year of longing? Did she see hope?  
  
“We don’t know what’s out there,” he said. “But, Collective efforts found this signal, not the Intiative’s.” He steeled his gaze, still holding hers. “I want to ensure Collective interests are represented.”  
  
“So send a representative,” Liam growled.  
  
He turned to look at the man, and met his fiery jealousy with cool confidence. “Why take the risk of a proxy bungling things when I’m more than capable of doing it myself?”  
  
Sara continued to watch him, but there was more than just shock in her eyes, more than her attempts to puzzle him out. She was calculating, weighing his value to her team and her endeavors against the undeniable trouble he would cause.  
  
“You would be a member of my team,” she said. “You’d have responsibilities beyond your work as the Charlatan. You’d be on away teams, probably see combat.” She shot a sidelong glance at Liam, who sat fuming on the couch. “You’d have to get along with my crew.”  
  
Reyes almost laughed. She was looking out for him, even after all this time. She wanted to be sure that he knew the requirements of flying with her, as if any requirement could be enough to convince him to abandon her again. She wanted him to be sure he really wanted this. Which was ridiculous; he’d always wanted this, it was just that the timing had always been wrong.  
  
“I understand,” he said.  
  
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Liam mumbled. Reyes winced, because he knew the man had just made a critical mistake.  
  
Sara’s head snapped toward him. “Outside,” she snapped.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Wait. Out. Side.” She glared at him, and Reyes saw the flash of ethereal blue in her eyes as her biotics leaked into them. He knew from personal experience that Liam was walking on fragile ground.  
  
Scott stood, and pulled Liam up after him. “We’ll just be outside,” he said. He set his empty glass on the kitchen counter, and nodded his thanks to Reyes. There was silence until the door hissed shut behind them.  
  
“What are you doing?” She asked after a moment. Her voice was so low he almost didn’t hear her, even as close as her chair was. He realized now that he could reach an arm out and touch hers, if he thought such behavior would be welcome.  
  
“I meant what I said,” he told her. “I want to establish and promote Collective interests in the new cluster.” He shrugged, trying to hide the sudden discomfort he felt at being alone with her. “We both know that Tann is going to send you out there as soon as the new Pathfinder teams are ready.”  
  
She looked at him, her lips pursed. “I’d ask how you know that, but…”  
  
He smiled, and it was soft and genuine. Now that they were alone his mask was gone. “It’s my job to know things.” He adjusted in his seat. “But, I need quantum entanglement to maintain my contacts here in Heleus.”  
  
She sighed, running a hand over her head. “And Pathfinder ships are the only ones with QE, to keep in communication with SAM node.”  
  
He nodded.  
  
“You’re a clever son of a bitch,” she said. She smiled when that made him laugh.  
  
He almost said it, but a handsome one, right? It was right there on his tongue, but he stopped himself. It would be inappropriate, unwanted, and uncomfortable. Sort of like the silence that hung between them now, where the unspoken retort echoed between them anyway.  
  
Sara cleared her throat. “I have to bring this to Tann,” she said.  
  
He nodded; he had figured as much.  
  
She stood with a sigh, no doubt dreading the fight she would walk out to. “I don’t know how quickly we’ll move on this, but you should probably stick around.” She considered him for a moment. “Do you need time to get your affairs squared away?”  
  
He tapped a short message into his omnitool as he stood. “Already taken care of,” he said.  
  
She laughed, and the sound felt fresh as rain on his skin. “You were betting on me saying yes!”  
  
He smirked. “I liked my chances.”  
  
  


For the first time in her career, Sara wished her meeting with Director Tann had taken longer. And it had already been a long discussion. The Salarian was understandably hesitant to trust the Collective's data, but the promise of finding the Quarian ark was too tempting to ignore.  
  
Convincing him to send her out to the Alcaeus Cluster wasn't the hard part. No, the hard part was convincing him to allow a Collective operative to join her team. And even that took less time than she'd hoped. Tann knew by now that Sara would do as she saw fit, and that he ultimately had very little say in her personnel decisions.  
  
And so everything was set. She was free to embark on this mission as soon as she was ready. Which meant it was time for her to return to the Tempest and face the wrath of her boyfriend.  
  
She wasn't entirely sure how she would defend her decision to let Reyes join her team. She knew he'd be a valuable addition. He was methodical and calculating, a capable combatant, and a literal data mine. Add his skills as a mechanic and his ability to cook, and it was difficult for her to think of reasons why he shouldn't come along.  
  
Well, besides the fact that they were once in love. That one was glaring, and no doubt the only thing Liam cared about.  
  
As she exited the tram, Sara considered taking a detour to the Vortex. Her steps faltered, and she stood weighing her options. But, she knew that if she returned to the Tempest with alcohol on her breath, when Liam had been stewing as he waited for her, it would only make matters worse.  
  
So, she went back to her ship, and tried to prep what she would say.  
  
Liam stood at the top of the ramp, intercepting her before she could try and hide from him. He stood with one hip cocked and his arms crossed over his chest.  
  
Yep, she thought. Definitely still angry.  
  
She waved for him to follow her through the ship to her quarters. It was the only soundproof room on the Tempest, and she had a feeling this discussion was going to get loud.  
  
They didn’t speak until the door hissed shut behind them.  
  
“Drink?” She asked as she moved to pour one for herself.  
  
“No,” he said, his voice hard. There was a long moment of tense silence and then he added, “Thank you.”  
  
She nodded and then leaned against the arm of her sofa to face him.  
  
Liam leaned against her desk, but he shoved off it to pace the length of her quarters. He was too agitated to stay still.  
  
“Talk to me, Liam,” she said after a moment of watching him circle the room. She knocked back her glass of whiskey, killing it in one go. She poured another. “What’s on your mind?”  
  
He spun on her. “You know what’s on my mind!”  
  
She nodded again, but didn’t speak. She found it was best to let Liam talk his way through things, then respond. She took a sip of her drink as he continued to pace.  
  
“How could you agree to let him on this ship?”  
  
She kept her face carefully neutral, as if it didn’t matter to her one way or another if Reyes came with them. She hoped that if she thought it enough, it might turn out to be true. She shrugged. “He has a valid reason for wanting to come along.”  
  
“And what about your reasons?” Liam spat.  
  
That rankled under her skin. “Liam,” she said, her voice sharp with warning. “Your insecurity’s showing.” It was a cruel thing to say, and as soon as the words left her lips she regretted them.  
  
“Damn right it is,” he countered. “Tell me it shouldn’t be.” He stepped forward, his body taught with coiled, angry energy. “Look me in the eye and tell me I shouldn’t be concerned.”  
  
They stared at each other, Liam’s brown eyes furious, with a hint of fear behind them. She knew what she needed to say, but the words wouldn’t come. The silence stretched on.  
  
“Sara,” he started, and his voice wavered for a moment. “Look at me and tell me I don’t need to worry about Vidal.”  
  
She wanted to look away. She wanted to tell him the truth. Instead she told him what he wanted to hear. She held his gaze and the words came, so much easier than they ever should have. “You don’t have to worry about Vidal.”  
  
He sighed, a hand raking down his face in relief. He stepped into her space, his arms looping around her waist, and his hips nudging her thighs apart.  
  
She accepted him automatically, letting him stand between her legs to lean into her. His arms were warm against her sides. But, when he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, Sara couldn’t bring herself to close her eyes.  
  
She didn’t lie to him, not really. He didn’t need to worry about Reyes. The man was a master of compartmentalizing and separating himself, of being who he needed to be regardless of the personal cost. No, she thought. Liam didn’t have to worry about Vidal at all.  
  
He needed to worry about her.


	5. Test

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks you everyone for your comments and kudos! Here, have some Reyes POV!

Reyes climbed up the ramp of the Tempest plagued by memories of his previous visits to the Pathfinder’s ship. The most recent of which was when Scott had begged him to come and talk some sense into his grieving and self-destructive twin. In hindsight, they probably should have talked more, and kept a much healthier distance between them.  
  
Reyes sighed as he reached the top of the ramp. Now that he was there, he wasn’t sure he could do this. Being around her, even for a few minutes, bordered on torturous. She was a black hole, relentlessly pulling him to her. But she wasn’t his to be drawn to anymore. She was Liam’s, and as much as he hated it, Reyes had agreed to her terms anyway.  
  
When the bay door opened more memories flooded him. Sara above him, straddling his hips in the backseat of the Nomad. Did she think about him every time she drove off on some planet? Did the memories haunt her like they haunted him in his shuttle?  
  
Footsteps on the metal floor pulled him from his reverie.  
  
“Scott,” he greeted the man, his hand extended.  
  
“Reyes,” he said, shaking his hand. It was awkwardly professional, and the firm line of his mouth made it clear that Scott felt the same way. He gestured to the lift. “Let me show you where you’ll be stationed.”  
  
Reyes nodded and followed after his friend.  
  
Gil nodded to them when the lift reached the next level, a tentative smile on his lips. “You any good at poker, Vidal?”  
  
Reyes grinned. He’d heard tales of Gil’s total domination of the Tempest’s crew when it came to the game. He looked forward to the challenge. “I guess we’ll have to find out.” He winked at the man, who laughed.  
  
Scott groaned. “Don’t encourage him.” The twin hurried Reyes along to avoid further distraction from the engineer.  
  
When they stepped out into the research station five heads turned in their direction. Out of all of them, only Lexi seemed friendly. Peebee looked curious and suspicious, her green eyes looking him up and down shamelessly. Jaal was wary, his nebulous, catlike eyes conflicted. Like most angara he wasn’t very good at hiding his emotions, and Reyes had spent enough time with Keema to recognize the pity, anger, and curiosity that mingled in his expression. Vetra tilted her head in a silent, non-committal greeting. And Liam, well, he crossed his arms and raised his chin, an angry defiance in his brown eyes.  
  
Scott cleared his throat. “I think you know everyone,” he said. He shot a glare around the room and then ushered Reyes to a door on their left. “This is the biolab,” he announced.  
  
Reyes had seen the room before, when Sara had given him ‘the tour’. But they hadn’t lingered here, too worried about Cora’s reaction if she ever found out they’d fooled around in her space. He wondered for a moment if that was why the Pathfinder had decided to put him here, in one of the only rooms that wasn’t connected to memories of her skin. But, it was also the only vacant space, since Cora had her own command now.  
  
The room looked more or less the same in Cora’s absence; the Huntress wasn’t one for sentimental belongings or displays. The wall of plants on the left gave the lab a pleasant freshness as well as a velvety humidity. It already felt more like home than his apartment in Meridian had.  
  
“You any good with plants?” Scott asked.  
  
Honestly, Reyes didn’t have the patience for gardening, and historically had never had the space for it. But, to Scott he said, “how hard could it be?”  
  
The man blanched. “Right,” he drawled. “Me and Lexi will keep an eye on them, then.”  
  
Reyes chuckled. “That’s probably for the best.” He spun slowly, taking in his new space. Monitors hung from every wall, most of them running diagnostics and reports on the plant life on the wall. His mind churned with possibilities. If he could reroute some functions, consolidating biolab operations to the two wall bay terminals, then he could commandeer the four terminals on the right hand side of the room for Collective business. Maybe he could convince SAM to help…  
  
Scott was talking to him, but he’d missed the first part. “…meet at the vidcon at 1400.”  
  
“For what?” he asked.  
  
Scott shrugged. “Mission overview, team bonding, Initiative bitch-fest.” He smirked. “You never know what you’re in for with the Pathfinder.”  
  
It was meant to be funny, probably even comforting, but it only reminded Reyes of how precarious his position on the ship was. He was used to being in control, coordinating his every step along predetermined paths. But here he was, on her ship, under her command, about to fly off into the literal unknown.  
  
The quiet moment must have gone on too long because Scott cleared his throat again.  
  
“I’m sorry she didn’t come to get you situated.”  
  
Reyes shrugged. “I’m not,” he admitted. “She’s establishing distance, preventing unwarranted gossip.”  
  
Scott arched a dark brow. “Unwarranted?”  
  
Reyes shook his head, careful to keep his expression serious. “I didn’t come here to seduce your sister, Scott.”  
  
“Huh,” said the younger twin. “That’s a shame.”  
  
Before Reyes could process the words, before he had a chance to grab Scott and demand an explanation, the man turned away.  
  
“I’ll see you in a couple hours, Reyes,” he called over his shoulder.  
  
And then the smuggler was left along with far too many thoughts.  
  
  


The two hours went by faster than he expected. He’d unpacked his bag, finding a home for his clothes and his few mementos. His Alliance dog tags dangled from one of the wall mounted monitors and his abuela’s rosary lay coiled on the desk around a rock he’d taken from Kadara when he left for Meridian. It was a stupid sentiment, but he wanted to take a piece of the planet with him, to remember it by.  
  
Then he’d changed out of his flight suit and into pants and a plain white t-shirt. Only then could he get started on his new project.  
  
The computers weren’t locked, their information open to any on board who’d care to take a look. Add that to the top of the list of things to change, he thought. And then it was the tedious task of sorting data and reorganizing it, not unlike his typical work as the Charlatan.  
  
He’d just finished cleaning out one terminal on his desk when the door hissed open. He spun in his chair and was surprised to see the redheaded science officer poke her head into the room.  
  
“You don’t want to be late on your first day,” she chided. Her voice was low and breathy, with a thick accent. “Set’s a bad precedent."  
  
Reyes looked down at his omnitool, and was amazed to see that he had mere moments to spare if he wanted to get to the briefing on time. He’d been so caught up in his work that he would be one of the last people there, instead of the first as he usually was.  
  
“C’mon, then,” Suvi said, tilting her head for him to follow her.  
  
He left the terminal up; it was transferring files to another station, and followed her up the stairs to the vidcon table. He tried not to look at it, hoping that if he could just ignore the table it wouldn’t trigger the memories attached to it. A foolish expectation.  
  
Despite his best efforts he could practically feel her hands pressed against his chest, forcing him to lie back against the table. She’d clambered on top of him, her thighs tight against his ribs, and then she’d leaned down to-  
  
“You all right, Vidal?”  
  
He startled from the memory to look across the table and into bright blue eyes with the fractured emerald centers. Though her voice and face bore no emotion, her eyes were soft with understanding. She knew exactly what he’d been thinking about.  
  
He wanted to look away, to stare down at his feet and try to hide the heat in his cheeks. Instead he held her gaze and cleared his throat.  “Perfect, Ryder,” he said, returning to the familiar mask of Vidal the smuggler.  
  
She nodded and looked around the room at her assembled crew. Reyes took the opportunity to fall back further into the shadows. Sara’s eyes followed him, but she didn’t comment.  
  
“I think that’s everyone,” Scott said.  
  
Sara nodded again, then pressed a few commands on the console. A blurry image of Star V428 and its surrounding planets filled the table. _His_ image.  
  
“This is a star system in the Alcaeus Cluster,” she announced.  
  
“The what?” Suvi asked.  
  
Sara glanced up at him, her eyebrows raised. “Care to fill in the rest of the class, Reyes?”  
  
He refused to let the sound of his name on her lips fluster him. He kept careful eyes on hers as he stepped forward. He had the distinct impression that she was testing him.  
“It’s a neighboring cluster,” he said. “We’re calling it Alcaeus.”  
  
“Who’s ‘we’?” Peebee asked, leaning closer to the image to further analyze it.  
  
“The Collective.” He shrugged. He glanced back to Sara, unsure if he should continue, but she nodded for him to go on. “We’ve been scanning the edges of Heleus for some time now,” he said. “And recently Alcaeus finally had something to offer.”  
  
“Like what?” Kallo asked, blinking his big, black eyes with disdain.  
  
Sara leaned forward against the console and grinned at her team. “Like the Keelah Si’yah.”  
  
Several gasps filled the room, followed by Vetra’s murmured, “no, shit.”  
  
“The Collective tracked the signal to this cluster, Star V428, but this was the best image we could get,” Sara added.  
  
“So, what?” Peebee shoved away from the table, turning to glare at Reyes. “Your little gang finds a blip on the map and suddenly you want to come out and play?”  
  
The entire crew turned to look at him, and Reyes didn’t miss the satisfied smirk on Liam’s face. Or the humor that glinted in Sara’s eyes and lingered at the corners of her lips. He smirked at her before answering the asari.  
  
“The Collective has a vested interest in what can be found in Alcaeus.” He gestured at the image of the system. “I wanted to make certain that interest is represented during any initial exploration.” He crossed his arms, a smug smile on his face. “And, let’s face it, the Collective did the Initiative a big favor. This mission wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for my people, Pelessaria.”  
  
She glowered at the his use of her full name. It irritated her, just as he’d intended. It was good to know that she had buttons that were easy to push. Jaal chuckled from the opposite side of the table from Peebee, but a glare from the asari silenced him.  
  
Sara closed the image, drawing the attention of the crew back to her. “I want to be out of Heleus within a week.” She looked around the room. “Everyone needs to draft an inventory of materials and provisions you think you might need on a prolonged mission. Vetra?”  
  
The turian stepped forward, easily the tallest person in the room. “Yeah, Ryder?”  
  
“You’re in charge of making sure this ship and everyone on it can last for at least three months without needing a resupply.” She ran a hand through her long hair. “We don’t know what’s out there, and running back and forth between clusters might not be an option. I want to be sure we want for nothing.” She glanced up and caught his eyes, and then refocused on Vetra. “Reyes will assist you.”  
  
Vetra looked at him, and they nodded at each other. “You got it,” she said.  
  
“If there’s any loose ends in Heleus that you want to tidy up, let me know tonight. I’ll do my best to make sure you can get them done before we leave.” She looked at every member of her crew before asking, “any questions?”  
  
Silence filled the conference room as everyone stewed on what they would need to bring with them to Alcaeus.  
  
“All right,” Sara sighed. “You’re dismissed.”  
  
The crew dispersed fairly quickly, murmuring to each other as they thought about what provisions they’d need for their upcoming trip. Reyes wanted to linger, to stay until it was just him and the Pathfinder. But that was a terrible idea. He waited for a few others to leave, not wanting to seem like he was fleeing the meeting, and then quietly retreated to the biolab.  
  
  


He’d just initialized the downloading procedures for the security software on his first terminal when the door to the biolab slid open. Reyes didn’t expect Liam Kosta to come see him so soon, but in retrospect he probably should have; the Crisis Response Specialist was hardly renowned for his patience or tact.  
  
Reyes spun in his chair to face his visitor. “Liam,” he greeted, his voice warm, but with just a hint of hesitation. “To what do I owe the pleasure.”  
  
Liam entered a code onto the panel on the wall, and the door hissed closed.  
  
“Ah,” Reyes said. He rubbed at his jaw, trying to hide how tired he was already, and sighed. “Let’s get this conversation over with, then.”  
  
Kosta grunted, crossed his arms, and leaned against the door. Reyes waited a moment, but suddenly Liam seemed uncertain how to continue.  
  
“Does Sara know you’re here?” Reyes asked.  
  
Liam bristled, his brow pulling down over his brown eyes. “No,” he spat. “And I don’t see any reason why she should.”  
  
Reyes laughed. “She probably wouldn’t agree with you. Trust me,” he said. “I know from experience.”  
  
Liam’s frown deepened, his full lips tugged firmly down at the corners. But whether the expression was because of the reminder of Reyes’ intimacy with Ryder, or at the potential fallout of his actions, Reyes wasn’t sure.  
  
When Kosta continued to stare, Reyes let some of his frustration to show. “Have you come to tell me to stay away from your girl?” he spun back to his terminal as it beeped to announce that the security software was successfully installed. “I can promise you, its unnecessary.”  
  
“I know,” Liam said.  
  
“Oh?” Reyes turned just far enough to show a single dark eyebrow raised in Liam’s direction.  
  
Kosta nodded. “She’s already promised me that I don’t have to worry about you.”  
  
“Well,” Reyes said with a shrug. He returned his attention to the monitor to disguise his sudden disappointment. “If Ryder promised, then it must be true.”  
  
A long moment hung between them, Reyes purposefully refusing to meet the man’s gaze.  
  
Finally, Liam grunted. “I don’t know about true,” he said. “But, I’m betting you won’t make her a liar.”  
  
Reyes looked up to see a pained expression on the man’s face, as if he worried about what he might say next.  
  
“That’s what you do, right?” There was no malice in Liam’s words, but they stung him just the same.  
  
Reyes shrugged it off. “If I have to sacrifice a little to make her life easier, so be it.”  
  
Liam nodded. He rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable with this whole conversation. They had that in common. “Look,” he said. “I’m under no illusions that we’ll be best mates or something, but if we’re going to work together, work with her together, there can’t be any distractions.”  
  
“I agree completely.”  
  
Liam let out a heavy breath and tugged at his hair. Then he stepped toward Reyes, his hand extended. “If we can’t be friends, we can at least agree to be civil. For her,” he added.  
  
Reyes regarded the outstretched hand, the smooth palm with the small callouses under the knuckles. He forced the thought of those hands touching Sara’s bare skin far back into the shadowy corners of his mind. Hopefully he’d never have to think about it again.  
  
He smiled, but it felt tight on his lips, like a suit that shouldn’t have been dried.  
  
“Civil,” he agreed and shook Liam’s hand.  
  
They each nodded, and then Liam stood there for a moment, lingering awkwardly. “Right,” he said. “I’ll let you get back to whatever it is you’re doing.” He squinted at the screen. “What are you doing exactly?”  
  
“Improving processing speeds and installing better security software.”  
  
Liam leaned over Reyes’ shoulder. “Huh. Better than the Initiative’s?”  
  
Reyes laughed. “Much better.”  
  
“I didn’t realize you were so tech savvy.”  
  
He glanced up at the man, a smirk on his face. “What? You thought I built a shadow empire with a pencil and paper?”  
  
Liam chuckled. “I guess that’s fair.” He straightened up and stepped away. “I’ll leave you to it then.”  
  
“Goodnight, Kosta,” he said.  
  
“Yeah,” came Liam’s reply. Then “Goodnight, Vidal.” He left the room and Reyes felt a sudden wash of relief. He hadn’t realized how much he’d been dreading that particular conversation. Or how much he’d underestimated Liam. Reyes had been certain that Kosta would remain a petulant and problematic force in his life on the Tempest. But it seemed that problem had dealt with itself.  
  
Reyes sighed and turned back to his computers. Now if only the puzzle of his relationship with the Pathfinder would be so easy to solve.  
  
But, he wouldn’t hold his breath. Nothing about was that easy. Except, of course, loving her. That had always been easy, even when he’d been foolish enough to try and deny it to himself. But, now, after so much time, he had no idea where they stood.  
  
So far, his dealings with the Pathfinder had been professional and terse. She was guarded around him, and as much as that hurt, he knew it was for the best. And that any attempts on his part to test her defenses would end badly.  
  
Not for the first time he wondered if he’d made a mistake in joining her team. He was a man of control, it was something he prided himself on. But, how much temptation could he withstand before he rightly broke?  
  
And how much damage could he cause once he did?  
  
He stared at the screen for a moment longer, and then entered in another command. With the first round of firewalls installed, he could begin downloading the second security suite. It would take a while, so he might as well explore the ship and start mingling, before he came back to check on it. He could touch base with Vetra about the crews’ inventories and start planning and reaching out to his various contacts.  
  
He would make sure they were prepared for Alcaeus, no matter the cost. He wouldn’t let her down again.

 


	6. Alarm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh my goodness! I cannot get over how wonderful all of you are! Your comments are life-giving. Thank you all!
> 
> This is a pretty light-hearted chapter, but beware, there are some feels toward the end...

Sara poked her head into the galley the next morning scanning the room before she entered.  
  
“Just us,” Scott said with a sly smile. It was, in fact, just her brother and Gil in the room. Coffee brewed in the pot on the counter, filling the small kitchen with that wonderful, roasty aroma that Sara was useless without. As she entered the room, Scott handed her a steaming mug without a word.  
  
She nodded her thanks, and then sat down next to Gil.  
  
He took a sip of his coffee and she wrinkled her nose. He laughed. “Yes, I know, you snob. I prefer too much cream.” He shook his head. “I’ve heard about it, at length, from your dear brother for over a year now.”  
  
Scott turned to the table. “You use too much sugar too.” Her brother set a plate before Gil. A single piece of toast with a small pat of butter, a single egg over medium, and an assortment of fresh fruit. Sara eyed the plate hungrily, and her brother sighed. “One egg or two?” He asked.  
  
She held up a finger to signal for just one egg. She hadn’t had quite enough coffee to use her words yet. She smiled as he turned back to the stove. Scott wasn’t a great cook, but he had the breakfast basics down.  
  
And so they sat in comfortable silence as Gil scrolled through something on his datapad. Probably HSN articles, or diagnostic reports for the Tempest. The engineer rarely turned off that big brain of his. The sizzle of the egg in the pan was a comforting sound, familiar and pulling up memories from another life, when their mother had made them breakfast in the morning before school.  
  
Sara gripped her mug as her mind wandered through the fog of morning, as if it were the only thing anchoring her to the moment. She always hated mornings, but she usually didn’t cling to sleep this hard. Typically, she woke up like a finger snap, sudden and crisp, if irritable. But the dreams the night before were unforgiving and kept her tossing and turning.  
  
It hadn’t helped that Liam had slept in his own room for the first time in months. Sara frowned down at her mug. She was trying not to read too much into it. He’d said that he was going to be up late working on dossiers for APEX’s version of HST-1 and didn’t want to disturb her. She was trying really hard to believe him, to take the words at face value.  
  
But, she couldn’t ignore the fact that the first time Liam declined to share her bed was also the first night Reyes slept on the ship. As much as she wanted to believe the two were unrelated, she’d be an idiot if she actually thought they had nothing to do with each other.  
  
Scott slid her breakfast onto the table. “It’s awful early to be frowning already,” he said.  
  
Gil grunted from beside her. “She’s always frowning in the morning,” he said without tearing his eyes from his omnitool. He took a bite of his toast, and its crunch echoed through the room.  
  
“Yeah,” Scott agreed, finally sitting down to his own breakfast. “But this expression is particularly stormy.”  
  
“Oh?” Gil looked up at Sara. “Oh.” He blinked, as if her face might change in the fleeting seconds his eyes were closed. “So it is.”  
  
Her frown deepened. “I’m sure talking about it as if I’m not here really helps.”  
  
Scott shook his head, spreading butter on his slice of toast. “He’s only been on the ship for twenty-four hours. He can’t have caused so much trouble already.”  
  
“What?” She asked through a mouthful of egg.  
  
“Trouble in paradise?” Gil asked.  
  
Sara stared at them. Was she that obvious? Was that why Liam didn’t stay with her last night? She shrugged and turned back to her food. “I just didn’t sleep well.” She didn’t miss the significant look between her brother and her engineer. “I hate you both,” she said, returning her attention to her plate.  
  
They chuckled and the potentially tense moment passed. As they continued their meal in contented silence Sara’s mood improved with every bite of food and sip of coffee.  
  
She could do this. Things would be awkward for a while, while everyone got used to Reyes being on the ship. She would set boundaries, make a firm line in the sand as far as what was acceptable behavior between them. Yeah, she thought. It wouldn’t be so bad. She could do this.  
  
The galley door hissed open and a bleary-eyed Reyes stepped through, no doubt drawn in by the promise of coffee.  
  
She couldn’t do this.  
  
He wore the same white t-shirt and black pants from the night before, and his hair was mussed, like he ran his hands through it all night. He didn’t seem to notice them as he rifled through the cupboards in search of a mug. He made a pleased sound low in his throat when he found one, and hurried to pour a cup.  
  
He took a sip, his back still to them. Sara didn’t fail to notice how the shirt clung to his shoulder blades, hinting at the definition of his back. Or the way his pants hung from his hips. They were looser than she remembered, and she realized he’d lost weight, but had gained a little muscle. He was streamlined, his body toned from whatever work had occupied his time in the last year. And his clothes did little to hide that.  
  
Her eyes must have lingered a little too long, because Scott cleared his throat loudly a moment later.  
  
Reyes froze, the lines of his shoulders and neck stiffening mid-sip as he realized he wasn’t alone in the galley.  
  
“Good morning, Reyes,” Scott said cheerfully.  
  
Sara looked down at her plate, letting her hair drape down to conceal her face before he could turn to look at them. But she still felt the moment when his eyes landed on her. It felt like someone had opened the airlock, the air pulled from the room, from her lungs, until she was sure she would suffocate under his golden-eyed gaze.  
  
“Care to join us?” Scott asked. His voice shattered the silence and permitted her to breathe again.  
  
Another quiet moment. She carefully cut her egg with her fork, focusing on the task far more than necessary. She listened to the delicate slurping sound as Reyes took another sip of his coffee. She practically felt him shake his head; the silence too prolonged for him to accept her twin’s offer.  
  
The coffee pot clanked against the brewer as he removed it to pour more of the life-giving liquid into his mug.  
  
“No thanks,” he said. His voice, though seemingly casual, was strained.  
  
Sara glanced up to find his back to them again.  
  
“I’ve got some things to get done before I meet with Vetra to compare notes.” He turned his head slightly to glance at her from the corner of his eye. “Any idea where we’re heading first?” He asked.  
  
She sat up, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. “We’ll spend the day here, getting what we can from the Nexus, but after that Jaal wants to see his family again before we go,” she said.  
  
Scott groaned. “Havarl?”  
  
Gil patted his arm in sympathy. “At least you’re getting it out of the way.”  
  
Scott huffed. “I guess.”  
  
Sara rolled her eyes at her dramatic twin. “There’s some remtech and structures Peebee wanted to take a look at while we’re there.”  
  
“Oh, goody,” Scott said. “I assume you’ll be dragging me with you?”  
  
She smirked. “Only if you promise to keep complaining”  
  
Gil snorted. “When does he ever stop?”  
  
Reyes chuckled from his spot at the counter and a strange warmth blossomed in Sara’s chest at the sound. Against her will her eyes moved up to look at his face.  
  
He looked tired, the dark circles under his eyes starting to swell. But, his full lips were tilted in the corners, and his bright eyes shone with humor. He caught her watching him, and something soft flickered across his face.  
  
He cleared his throat after another drink from his mug. “Jaal gave us his list already.” He shrugged. “We can get all of it on Aya, but I’ll speak with Vetra and see if we can’t score some of his items for cheaper while we’re on Havarl.”  
  
Sara nodded. She took a sip of coffee to steel herself, but immediately spat it back into the mug, gagging; she’d let it go cold.  
  
Scott laughed and Gil shook his head, but Reyes moved silently to pour her a fresh cup. Without a word he set the new mug onto the table, the handle facing her, and then stepped back to lean against the counter.  
  
She stared at the mug for a moment, dumbstruck by his lack of hesitation to get her another cup. “Thank you,” Sara murmured.  
  
He raised his mug in response, then took a drink, the mug hiding the smirk on his lips, but not his eyes.  
  
Alarms blared in her head. They were in dangerous territory, and the little flip her stomach did when she looked at him proved it. She took a deep pull from her mug.  
“Good,” she said, adding the weight of the Pathfinder to it. “Are you missing anyone’s list?”  
  
He raised a dark eyebrow at her. “Yours.”  
  
Scott glared at her from the other side of Gil. “Sis,” he said. “Do I need to sit you down with Lexi again?”  
  
She silenced her twin with a glacial glare of her own. “No.”  
  
He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Because you know what she said about making concessions for yourself.”  
  
“So much for Doctor-Patient confidentiality,” she grumbled.  
  
Gil scoffed. “He only knows because she gave him the same speech.”  
  
Her twin scowled at his boyfriend, and Sara left them to their squabble. She looked back to Reyes, careful to keep her face controlled. She had to get used to talking to him again, to being close to him and ignoring whatever feelings that caused. She’d agreed to let him on board her ship; it was her responsibility to keep things professional.  
  
“I’ll have my list to you by the end of the day,” she said. She shook her head. “I don’t need much.”  
  
Reyes nodded, and rinsed his mug in the sink. “I’ll be in the biolab if you need me,” he announced to the room, and then left.  
  
Sara sighed, slouching back into the booth as the door hissed shut behind him.  
  
Scott and Gil turned to look at her, their argument forgotten in the presence of her obvious relief.  
  
“What?” She snapped at them.  
  
“Oh, nothing,” Scott said with a saccharine smile. He glanced at the engineer with a knowing look.  
  
Sara scowled at them both. “If I find out either of you are hosting a betting pool about anyone on this ship, I will throw you out the airlock.”  
  
Gil pulled an innocent face. “What? Me?” He grinned at her. “I don’t even like to bet!”  
  
Scott laughed, but at least had the decency to try and hide it behind his hand when his sister frowned at him.  
  
“Ugh,” Sara groaned as she stood and put her dishes in the sink. “Have I mentioned that I hate you both?”  
  
“It has become something of a motto of yours,” Gil said.  
  
“More of a mantra, really,” Scott added.  
  
Sara shook her head at the couple’s antics and waved at them as she left the room. There was a sudden frustration clinging to her spine, swirling in her stomach. As she marched toward Liam’s room she pointedly refused to analyze where the feeling came from.  
  
Because if she did she knew she’d see bronze skin gleam from under the lifted hem of a white t-shirt.  
  
  


After the awkward encounter in the galley, Reyes aimed to hole himself away in the biolab for the rest of the day. He stared at his monitors, allowing a small, victorious smile to curl his lips. It’d been a big job for one night, one that had kept him up until the Tempest’s day cycle began, but he had finally finished organizing and connecting his new workstation to his various messaging accounts. He watched the green and blue feed of intelligence scroll by, a warm feeling of pride filling his chest.  
  
Now, if he could just get high priority messages to ping his omnitool. His goal was to allow himself to be as mobile as possible, to minimize the impact of away missions on Collective business. And vice versa, he admitted to himself. If he were less attached to his terminals, Sara might be more willing to take him along when she went planetside. He knew he could set up filters and conditions on the messages he received, but he was exhausted, and those types of rules and conditions never worked quite as efficiently as it should.  
  
“SAM?” He called out to the room.  
  
“Yes, Mr. Vidal?” The AI answered from one of the terminals hanging on the wall behind him.  
  
Reyes spun to face the monitor, though he knew it didn’t matter where he looked. SAM wasn’t physically present. “If you were to organize and forward messages from these terminals to my omnitool, how much would that affect your performance for the Pathfinder?”  
  
There was a silent moment as the AI calculated. “Organization and implementation of Collective data would have a negligible impact on my processes,” SAM answered.  
  
“Define negligible.”  
  
“Negligible. Adjective,” SAM said, the voice perfectly calm and cool as ever. “So small or unimportant as to be not worth considering; insignificant.”  
  
Reyes stared at the monitor hanging on the wall. “Was that a joke?” He asked after a moment.  
  
“It was,” the AI confirmed. “Alec Ryder included a humor module in my programming.”  
  
“Huh,” Reyes said, at a loss for words.  
  
“Sara has suggested I continue to practice this particular subset of my programming.”  
  
“Yeah,” he said, turning back to his own monitors. “I agree with her.” He sighed and ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. “How much would my request affect you? Give me the numbers, please.”  
  
“Organization and implementation of Collective data would divert less than .08 percent of my processing power. My human counterparts would not notice a change in my functions.”  
  
Reyes nodded, his mind already churning with possibilities. Did the Pathfinder realize what an amazing asset she had in SAM? With processing capabilities like that Reyes could let the AI do all the work for him. Not that he would.  
  
“I must mention however, Mr. Vidal, that there are certain risks associated with what you suggest.”  
  
“What kind of risks?”  
  
“I would require full access to your systems. As it is, I could decrypt your security suite in a few moments, but I would rather you consented to the breach of privacy.”  
  
Reyes frowned. “Thanks?”  
  
“You are welcome, Mr. Vidal.”  
  
“So,” he said after a moment. “If I let you in, does that mean…?”  
  
“The Pathfinder would also have access. I cannot guarantee secrecy between myself and Ryder. If the Collective has information critical to her missions, I will be compelled to share.”  
  
“And what about the Initiative?”  
  
“The distribution of Collective intelligence beyond yourself or the Pathfinder would require a direct order from either of you.”  
  
Reyes spun in his chair. He was too tired to talk to the emotionless AI. It was like listening to all the secrets and information that trickled by on his screen, instead of reading it; cold and rhythmic, threatening to lull him to sleep.  
  
“Before you decide, Mr. Vidal, know that Sara must approve any added functions to my software suite.”  
  
He glared at the monitor that the voice poured from. “So you’re saying I need to talk to her first.”  
  
“That is correct, Mr. Vidal.”  
  
He let his head fall back against the top of the desk chair, still swiveling in circles. He let his bare toes skim the cool metal floor as he spun, hoping the chill would keep him awake.  
  
“Can’t you just ask her for me?” He sighed.  
  
“I cannot.”  
  
Reyes lifted his head, his brow pulling down over his eyes. “Why not?”  
  
“I have been ordered not to intrude when Sara and Mr. Kosta are-”  
  
“SAM!” Reyes sat straight up in his chair, his feet flat against the floor to stop his oscillating. “I do not want to hear about that! Ever,” he growled. “Is that clear?”  
  
“Of course, Mr. Vidal.”  
  
Reyes scrubbed his hands over his face, as if he could banish the mental image of Sara and Liam bunked up together somewhere on the ship if he pulled at his face hard enough.  
  
“Mr. Vidal?” The AI ventured. “May I ask you a personal question?”  
  
Reyes sighed. “Go ahead,” he said, though he had a suspicion he would regret it.  
  
“As you know, I experience life via a symbiotic relationship with the Pathfinder.”  
  
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, SAM. I know.”  
  
“Then I must preface this question by stating that I have only experienced love twice, once between Alec and Ellen Ryder, and then again between Sara and yourself.”  
  
A cold weight settled in the pit of Reyes’ stomach. He definitely regretted his decision to let SAM question him.  
  
“When Ellen died, Alec remained steadfast in his devotion to his wife. He loved her even after she was gone. However, they were separated by death.”  
  
Reyes inhaled sharply through his nose. He had a good idea where the AI’s train of thought led, and he wanted nothing to do with it. And yet, he couldn’t stop himself from prodding at SAM. “Was there a question in there somewhere?”  
  
“Sara ended the relationship between you, causing great pain to you both.”  
  
Reyes nodded. “Yes,” he whispered. He rested his head in his hands, dread building in his chest, like cement poured into a pothole.  
  
“Does that mean that you no longer love the Pathfinder?”  
  
He swallowed at the thickness in his throat. It’d been over a year; this conversation with an emotionless artificial intelligence shouldn’t be that difficult. And yet, when he next spoke, his voice was rough with stifled emotion. “Have you asked Sara this question?”  
  
“I have not,” SAM admitted. “Sara has not permitted me to ask questions about you since she and Mr. Kosta began their relationship.”  
  
“Ah.” He sighed, resigned to answering the AI. “I didn’t stop loving Sara when she called things off,” he said.  
  
How did he describe the feeling to something that didn’t have feelings? How could he put words to the lingering admiration and wonder he felt for her, like a splinter in his heart that burrowed deeper every time she looked at him. Yes, he thought. There was very much a part of him that still loved her, that would love her again if she could let him.  
  
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what my feelings are SAM.”  
  
“Why is that, Mr. Vidal?”  
  
“Because she doesn’t want them,” he said. “And giving your love to someone who doesn’t want it…” he shrugged. “It’s a waste, on all fronts.”  
  
“I see,” SAM said.  
  
“Do you?”  
  
“I am… unsure,” the AI admitted. “Thank you, Mr. Vidal. You have given me much to consider.”  
  
“Anytime,” he said, though it was a lie. He’d prefer if SAM never brought up his tangled history with Ryder ever again. He stood and stretched, his back popping in several places. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to shower and get some sleep.”  
  
“Of course, Mr. Vidal.”  
  
He waited a moment, analyzing the silence, but the AI didn’t speak again. With a groan, his pleased mood from earlier thoroughly beaten, Reyes left the biolab to try and scrub that entire conversation from his skin.


	7. Bluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello everyone! As usual you are all awesome! Sorry I didn't post yesterday, but it was father's day and blah, blah, blah. But, happy Monday! Enjoy Reyes playing poker on the Tempest!

Havarl was a blessing and a curse. Reyes needed something to occupy him and wandering the settlement with Vetra considering purchases was a good diversion. But it was hot, and humid. Reyes liked deserts, dry heat. Kadara was about as humid as he could stand a planet, and compared to the angaran homeworld his former home might as well have been Elaaden.   
  
He unzipped a portion of his flight suit, hoping to let a breeze in to cool him.  
  
Vetra chuckled beside him. “That won’t help,” she said.  
  
“Does anything?” He asked.  
  
She shrugged one shoulder, turning her attention back to their shopping list. “Not really.”  
  
He grunted and looked back at his omnitool. They’d shared the lists the crew had given them, and were scrolling through them to see if Havarl had anything they needed. “I think Aya would be cheaper,” he said after a moment.  
  
“I agree,” Vetra said. She sighed and closed down her omnitool. “Half the stuff here is shipped from Aya anyway.”  
  
He nodded, because he’d figured as much. “Do you need me for anything else?” He asked. The sooner he got back to the ship the better; the humidity was doing embarrassing things to his hair. If he stayed outside much longer, the natural waves of his hair would turn into curls. That was unacceptable.  
  
Vetra shook her head. “I’ve got some contacts to meet up with anyway.” She turned away from him. “Later, Vidal.”  
  
“Later,” he said, and hurried back to the Tempest. As he climbed the ramp he tried not to think about how tired he was. Reyes had only just started to get used to the night and day cycle on Meridian when he joined the Pathfinder’s team. Now he was on a completely new schedule, and though he’d stayed up over twenty-four hours the day before in hopes of jump starting his circadian rhythm, he was exhausted.  
  
As the stepped into the cargo bay, he was surprised at how quiet the ship was. Most of the squad was planetside today for their shore-leave. Jaal, of course, went to visit his family. Peebee and Scott were with the Pathfinder, hunting down new remtech in the vault. Reyes had wanted to go with them, mainly because he’d yet to venture into one of the mysterious structures, but it didn’t make sense for Sara to take him. And she hadn’t offered, so he and Vetra had gone shopping instead. Even Suvi had left the Tempest to help a handful of Initiative scientists stationed on Havarl with their research.  
  
He stepped quietly into the cargo bay, looking forward to a few calm hours to work on his Collective messages when Gil noticed him.  
  
“Oi,” he called down to Reyes. “Poker in the galley, five minutes.”  
  
Reyes was about to decline the offer, but Gil scowled at him.   
  
“And don’t you dare give me some lame ‘I’m the Charlatan, I’m too busy’ excuse.”  
  
Reyes huffed a chuckle and shook his head. “Fine,” he called up to the engineer. “I’ll be there in a minute.”  
  
“Good!” And then Gil disappeared back into the drive core.   
  
He hurried up to the biolab to change out of his flight suit and into something more comfortable. He was still hot from the thick heat of the Havarl jungle so he pulled on a thin tank top he usually wore when he worked on his shuttle and a pair of worn cargo pants. He ran a hand through his hair and groaned; there was no saving it.   
  
His fingers tangled in the longest strands on the top of his head, the thick waves ignoring the typically sharp line of his side part. He no doubt looked thoroughly tousled, and considering that no other hand but his own had been in his hair in months, he found it particularly frustrating.   
  
But, he doubted Gil would forgive him for postponing their poker game because of a bad hair day. So, he ran his hand through it one last time, and then walked down to the galley.  
  
  
  


“Ryder!” Peebee shouted from behind a remnant blast shield. “Focus!”  
  
Sara shook her head, and hauled herself up from the ground. That Breacher had come from nowhere, but even then it should never had gotten the jump on her like that. She brought her attention back to the battlefield, and the Nullifier that was causing them so much trouble.  
  
Blue lines coursed through the air until they settled on the Pathfinder. Sara grinned. Just before the remnant fired a sparkling blue ball of energy her way, she pulled dark energy from the world around her to coalesce into a bright blue shield in front of her.   
  
The Nullifier’s attack rebounded off the biotic aegis, colliding with the remnant and distracting it. Two high-caliber rounds fired into the light that glowed just below what Sara considered to be the head of the creature. It keened and wobbled for a moment before Peebee vaulted over her cover to fire five rounds from her Sidewinder directly into the sensitive, glowing portion of the Nullifier.   
  
Sara smiled and dropped her shield.  
  
“What the hell was that?” Scott yelled as he approached his twin.  
  
“Nothing,” she said. “I was just caught off guard.”  
  
Scott stared at her, his blue eyes flashing with fury and fear in the shadowy vault. “And just what the fuck is so important to distract you from a dozen remnant trying to kill us?”  
  
Sara blushed. “Nothing, I just-”  
  
“I bet I know,” Peebee chimed from where she knelt before a remnant console. “She’s got a certain someone on her mind, and his name rhymes with…” She paused as she opened the console and probed inside. “Well, I don’t know what his name rhymes with, but you know who I mean.”  
  
“Peebee,” Sara chastised her. She turned to Scott to see him watching her with one dark eyebrow raised. “That’s not it,” she said. She walked to pull a coil from a fried Observer. “It’s just that Liam didn’t leave the ship today and I’m worried about him.”  
  
It wasn’t a complete lie. Liam had decided to spend their time on Havarl on the Tempest, and she was worried. But, mostly she was worried about what could happen between Liam and Reyes while she wasn’t there. She worried about how much damage control she might have to do once they got back.  
  
Scott grunted, willing to accept the answer for now. But Peebee was never so forgiving.  
  
“Sure, Ryder,” she sang. “Whatever you say.”  
  
Sara groaned and holstered her Equalizer. “C’mon,” she said. “Let’s get this tech and get out.”  
  
Three chambers and another firefight later, Peebee had forgotten all about teasing the Pathfinder. She was too busy analyzing the data core they’d recovered.  
  
“Save it for the Tempest, Peebs,” Scott said.  
  
“Why?” She countered. “I can get preliminary field notes done now.”  
  
“We still have to make it back to the ship,” Sara said. “We’re on Havarl, remember?” The trio walked out into the dusky twilight of the planet.   
  
“Which means we have at least two more gunfights before we get to the ship,” Scott sighed.  
  
“What can I say,” Sara said, throwing a smirk in her brother’s direction. “Everybody wants a piece of the Pathfinder.”  
  
Scott rolled his eyes, but pulled his Isharay off his back just in case.  
  
“The real question,” Peebee said as she stuffed the data core into her satchel. “Is who does the Pathfinder want a piece of?”  
  
Sara turned on the asari, her eyes lit with the blue light of her biotics. Peebee put her hands up in surrender.  
  
“Geesh! All right, Ryder.” Peebee looked down at the lush ground. “I’ll leave it be.”  
  
Sara dismissed her biotics. “Thank you,” she said. Her voice was stiff with her anger. She turned away from her friend and found her brother’s eyes on her. She tried to ignore the concern she saw on his face. “Let’s go home,” she said, and took off at a sprint in the direction of the ship.  
  
  
  


He wasn’t sure what to expect from a ship-wide game of poker, but drinking and verbally sparring with Liam wasn’t it.  
  
“I know you’re bluffing, Vidal.” Liam anted up for the next round of bets.  
  
“What makes you so sure?”  
  
“You’re too smug.”  
  
Reyes smiled as Gil laughed.  
  
“He’s always that way,” the engineer said.  
  
“It’s true,” Reyes agreed as he met the bet and then raised it.  
  
Kallo’s frown deepened, and he shook his head. He folded his hand and sipped primly at his water.  
  
Another one down, Reyes thought. Lexi sat beside the salarian, having folded her hand two rounds ago. For a psychologist, she was terrible at reading the players around her.  
  
Liam scoffed and met the bet.   
  
Gil whistled appreciatively. “All right,” he said. “I’m in.” He added his chips to the growing pile in the center of the table.   
  
Reyes smirked at Liam. “You know how I know you’re not bluffing?”  
  
Liam scowled at him. “How?”  
  
He held the younger man’s gaze. “You get quiet right before you bluff.” Reyes made a show of organizing his cards. “You think about it. But, if you like your hand?” Reyes shook his head and chuckled. “You’re suddenly all talk.”  
  
He frowned. “So, you think I’m not bluffing right now?”  
  
“I know you aren’t.”  
  
“Then why up the bet?”  
  
Reyes let a slow, confident smile claim his face as he set his cards on the table. “Because, neither was I.”  
  
Gil leaned forward to glance at the hand. “Holy shit,” he breathed.   
  
“A royal flush?” Liam cried. He set his hand down, revealing a four of a kind. “Goddamn it!”  
  
Gil chuckled. “He’s got you pegged, Kosta!” He showed his hand, a respectable full house. Reyes knew that the poker prodigy was playing casual tonight, getting a feel for the newest member of the crew. Their next game would be much more competitive.  
  
Reyes figured he had one more hand in him before he should bow out. He collected his chips and was about to invite Gil to deal another round when the door to the galley slid open.   
  
Every head turned to see Sara standing in the doorway. Reyes’ heart stuttered in his chest at the sight of her.  
  
Her face was flushed from exertion, her hair tumbling from the thick braid she kept it in. Wisps stuck to her neck, which glistened with a light sheen of sweat. Her armor had been discarded, and she wore only the skintight under armor one piece suit. It was sleeveless and cut off just before her knees, and hugged her curves in tantalizing detail. It also showed off more of her skin than he’d seen in over a year.  
  
He could also see the bruises that were starting to form on her arms and legs.  
  
“Rough day, Pathfinder?” Gil called as he shuffled the deck.  
  
Reyes turned back to the table and took a long pull on his beer.  
  
“I’ve had worse,” she said as she stepped into the room, but she couldn’t quite keep the exhaustion from her voice. She headed straight for the fridge, and eyed the table with its collection of empty bottles as she passed by, a smirk on her face.   
  
“Did you leave any beer for me?”  
  
Reyes and Liam both chuckled. They looked up at each other, and then quickly away.  
  
“Why?” Gil asked. “Did you plan on joining us?”  
  
She laughed as she retrieved a bottle from the refrigerator. “I think I’ve lost enough credits to you already.”  
  
Liam sat back in his chair with a huff. “I just lost all mine to the fucking Charlatan.”  
  
She raised a light brown eyebrow at Reyes and opened her bottle with a loud crack. “Is that so?”  
  
Reyes smirked and raised his bottle to her. “Beginner’s luck,” he said. He couldn’t keep the mirth from his eyes as he tipped the bottle back.  
  
“Beginner my ass,” Liam said.  
  
Gil laughed. “Face it, Kosta, you’re out of your depth.”  
  
“As am I,” Kallo said standing. Lexi joined him. It was clear her heart was never really in the game, and she was eager to get back to her medbay.  
  
“Oh, Kallo, don’t go,” Gil pleaded. “We’re just getting started.” But, the engineer’s pleas fell on deaf ears, and the pair left the galley to return to their stations.  
  
“I’ve had five beers,” Liam said, as a counter argument to Gil’s claim that the evening was young.  
  
“Just because you drink like a fish,” Gil argued.   
  
Reyes shook his head. “I’m afraid I must agree,” he said. “Thank you, gentlemen, for being so forthcoming with your hard earned credits.” He brought up his omnitool and forwarded a message to each of them. He flashed them his brightest Vidal the Smuggler smile. “You can make your payments to this account.”  
  
Gil laughed again, and Liam shook his head. “I am never playing with the two of you ever again.”  
  
Sara laughed at him, and Liam pulled her down to sit on his lap. She blushed and focused on her beer, tilting it back to take a generous gulp.   
  
Reyes tried not to stare at them. He tried not to notice how Sara’s arm looped around his neck, or how Liam’s hand rested firmly on her hip, holding her to him. Reyes tried and failed.  
  
“Goodnight, gentlemen,” he said. He took a moment of quiet consideration, and then he added, “Goodnight, Pathfinder.”  
  
She caught his eyes, and they glowed with concern, the apology plain on her face. He smiled softly and shook his head so slightly that he wasn’t sure she would even recognize it. She didn’t need to be sorry. They’d both known this would be difficult.  
  
“Goodnight, Reyes,” she said.  
  
And then he hurried out of the room.  
  
  
  


“Goodnight, Pathfinder.” His voice was quiet, reserved. It was unnatural and it made Sara uncomfortable. But, she resisted the urge to squirm, worried that Liam might misinterpret the movement. She looked up to find Reyes’ eyes and she could see the discomfort in those gold depths. He was trying so hard to appear casual, and she wasn’t sure he realized she could tell. He was used to hiding everything behind a mask, but he’d never really understood just how well she could read him.  
  
The look on his face now, a mixture of pain and resignation, clutched at her heart. But, he smiled at her, a soft tilt at the corners of his lips and a gentle crinkle at the edges of his eyes, and pulled his chin to the right slightly. It was okay, he told her without saying a word. So subtle she was sure Gil wouldn’t understand, and Liam was too busy unraveling her braid to notice the exchange.  
  
“Goodnight, Reyes,” she said, her voice carefully neutral. And then he vanished out into the ship, hurrying to get away from her. She tried not to acknowledge how much that hurt.  
  
“Well,” Gil said, stuffing the deck of cards back into their box. “I suppose this means I have my own Ryder to find and take care of.” He glanced at Sara imperiously. “I trust you brought him back in better shape than yourself?”  
  
She snorted. “You know Scott doesn’t engage in close quarters combat.”  
  
He stood, and rapped his knuckles on her head lovingly. “That’s because he likes to use that thing between his ears.”  
  
She stuck her tongue out at him. “Where’s the fun in that?”  
  
He rolled his eyes. “Oh, right,” he said. “I forgot you’re an adrenaline junkie.”   
  
She wanted to argue, but she was too tired. Plus, she knew that, despite his complaining, Gil really did want to see Scott. The engineer might put on a brave face and hide behind his jokes, but he worried about Scott when he was out in the field. Which was always, since Sara didn’t trust anyone to have her back more than her brother.  
  
Gil walked out of the galley, but turned to call over his shoulder at Liam. “Better luck next time, Kosta!”  
  
Liam growled in frustration, his head falling back.  
  
“That bad?”  
  
“Between the two of them, there’s no way anyone else can win,” he answered. He pulled his head back up and rested it on her shoulder. A moment later he looked up at her. “As much as I enjoy you sitting here, maybe we could relocate to the showers?”  
  
She pulled her mouth into an exaggerated frown. “Are you saying I smell bad?”  
  
“Definitely,” he said.  
  
She sniffed at her underarm and recoiled. “Yikes,” she said.  
  
He laughed, but ran a gentle hand up her arm. “Are you okay?” He asked, his brown eyes soft with his concern.  
  
“Yeah,” she said. “There was a bit of remnant to get through, and a Breacher caught me off guard.” She glanced at the purple bruises blooming to life on her skin. “Most of these are from me running into things.”  
  
He smiled. “That sounds about right.”  
  
She stuck her tongue out at him, and he leaned up to capture her mouth with his. She was surprised, caught off guard for the second time that day, and though she tried she couldn’t return the kiss with as much fervor as he did.  
  
“You sure you’re all right?” He asked when he noticed her enthusiasm had waned.  
  
She nodded. “I’m just wiped,” she said.  
  
He hugged her, and bounced a knee. “Come on, then,” he said. “Let’s get you cleaned up and off to bed.”  
  
She hummed in delight. “Those are the most wonderful words I’ve heard all day.”  
  
“I’ve got _Fleet and Flotilla_ cued up in your room,” he said.  
  
She chuckled and stood. She turned to face him, and pulled him up from his chair. “Sweet talker,” she cooed.  
  
He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I stole a box of Vetra’s Blast-Ohs while she was gone. They’re in your room.”  
  
Sara’s eyes widened in shock. “You know she’ll find out.”  
  
He shrugged. “You’re not the only adrenaline junkie on this ship.”  
  
She laughed at him, and he hugged her. And then he dragged her off to the showers so they could get ready for bed. Liam was sweet, she thought. Good and kind, if a little hot-headed, but though she appreciated the gesture of watching her favorite vid while eating contraband cereal, she couldn’t shake the look on Reyes’ face as he left the galley.  
  
He was usually so controlled, but he’d slipped up tonight when Liam had pulled her down into his lap. It hurt him, and whether he knew it or not, she saw it. It’d been over a year since that night in Ditaeon, surely he didn’t still have feelings for her?  
  
But, if that were the case, why did his eyes look so pained when he looked into hers?  
  
If that were the case, why did her heart clench every time she looked at him?  
  
 _Oh, Sara,_ she thought. _You fool._


	8. Negotiate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Whew! After a computer scare this morning, I'm happy to report that all is well! Nothing was lost, and my laptop is running better than ever. So, sorry this chapter is a little late, but here it is!

After their trip to Aya, the Tempest flew to Eos. Liam had some business to finish up there, and Reyes had a few contacts he needed touch base with before he left the cluster. He’d set out with the rest of the crew when they landed, hoping to finish his business and get back to the Tempest to spend a few hours wading through intelligence for the Collective.  
  
What he hadn’t expected was the Pathfinder to poke her head into the biolab.  
  
“Suit up, Vidal,” she said, leaning through the doorway. “We’re going hunting!” She was already in her armor, and it was covered in a fine coat of pale dust. She’d been on the ground all day, with Scott and Jaal, while Liam took care of his business in Prodromos.  
  
Before Reyes could ask what they were hunting, she disappeared back out into the ship. With a bewildered shrug, he finished his message to Meritus, locked his terminals, and headed to the armory.  
  
He climbed into his armored flight suit, and hurried into his boots. He tucked his knife into its sheathe in his right boot, holstered his Carnifex on his hip, and then slung his assault rifle onto his back. He wasn’t sure what to expect while they were ground-side, so he planned for anything, tucking a few explosives into his belt pouches for good measure.  
  
As he reached the cargo bay, he heard Gil shouting down from his perch at the away team.  
  
“You’d better bring him back in one piece!”  
  
Sara rolled her eyes. “Don’t you have a best friend to visit?”  
  
“We’re having dinner with Jil later this evening,” the engineer said. “Which is why I need you to bring my boyfriend back whole.”  
  
“I always do,” Sara yelled back at him.  
  
She opened the driver side door on the Nomad, and turned to look at Reyes. “Scott has been generous enough to give you shotgun,” she said with a wicked grin.  
  
He pulled up short. “And why would he do that?”  
  
Gil barked a laugh, and it did nothing to settle the sudden trepidation he felt in approaching the vehicle.  
  
“Don’t mind him,” she said. “He’s just cranky because I’ve got his boy-toy for the day.”  
  
“Hey!” Scott said from the backseat. “I am not a boy-toy!”  
  
Gil scoffed. “I’m more worried about how many repairs the Nomad will need when you return.” He gave her a pointed glance. “I’m not working on it tonight,” he threatened.  
  
“I can,” Reyes volunteered.  
  
Sara and Gil both stared at him.  
  
“I’m pretty good with a wrench,” he added.  
  
Gil leaned forward on the railing. “This isn’t some second rate shuttle you putter around in,” he said. “This is a fine-tuned, high performance all-terrain vehicle. It requires… finesse.”  
  
Reyes shrugged. “Fine,” he said. “I figured you wanted to go have your dinner.” He brushed off non-existent dust from the front of his suit. “Apparently, I was wrong.”  
  
Gil scowled at him, and Sara looked away to hide her laughter.  
  
“Fine,” he said finally. He pointed at Reyes. “But it doesn’t leave this ship until I okay it!”  
  
Reyes lifted his hands in surrender. “Whatever you say, Gil.” He caught Sara’s eyes, shining with suppressed laughter, and smirked.  
  
“I’m proud of you babe,” Scott called from the backseat. “Lexi said you should delegate more.”  
  
Sara laughed out loud then, and Reyes chuckled.  
  
Gil frowned down on them. “Just go on, then!” He yelled, gesturing to the open bay door, before he stormed off towards the drive core.  
  
They were all three still laughing when Reyes climbed into the front seat. He refused to look in the back, refused to give life to the memories that threatened to overwhelm him. Judging from Sara’s sudden silence, she was battling memories of her own.  
  
As the engine roared to life, Scott leaned forward.  
  
“You’re going to want to buckle up, Vidal.”  
  
“Oh?” He asked, but hurried to snap the buckle into place.  
  
As soon as it clicked, the Pathfinder threw the Nomad into reverse and slammed on the gas. The vehicle backed down the ramp at top speed, and the moment all six tires touched the sandy ground of Prodromos Ryder cut the wheel and changed gears.  
  
It took every ounce of Reyes’ considerable control not to grab the handle just above his head as the vehicle spun and then sped out of the colony. As it was, his whole body stiffened and pressed into the seat, and his breathing accelerated with the car.  
  
Sara’s eyes darted over to look at him, and she laughed. “You all right, Vidal?”  
  
He cleared his throat, but his voice was still thin and strained. “Oh, I’m great, Ryder.”  
  
“We won’t think less of you if you hold the ‘oh-shit-bar’,” Scott promised. Even without looking, Reyes could hear the grin in her twin’s voice.  
  
“Not a chance,” he told them.  
  
Sara raised a sandy eyebrow at him, and then looked in the rear-view mirror at her brother. “That sounds like a challenge.”  
  
Scott laughed, and Reyes knew he’d made a terrible mistake. His stomach lurched as Sara engaged the six-wheel drive, the Nomad barreling toward a steep hill.  
  
“Just what are we hunting?” He asked in an attempt to keep his mind off her driving. He held his breath as the Nomad crested a hill and its tires left the ground. He grunted when they landed, and he didn’t miss the grin on Sara’s face. She was enjoying his discomfort, and it was the only thing that kept him from being frustrated with her.  
  
It was nice to be the cause of her smiles again.  
  
“There’s a colony of Initiative exiles who defected from Kadara back before you took over.” She shifted gears again and disabled the six-wheel drive. The Nomad zoomed down another hill, and he tried not to notice the blur of vegetation just outside his window.  
  
“They’ve been a non-issue until now.” She took a deep breath. “They’ve been stealing Nexus deliveries to the outpost.”  
  
“So, what?” Reyes asked. “We’re just going to go in guns blazing?” That didn’t seem like her.  
  
She gritted her teeth, and careened through a natural arch formation without slowing down. “We tried using official methods.” She shook her head. “We gave them cease and desist warnings, we offered to open up official trade channels.” She pressed her lips into a thin, angry line. “They refused to negotiate.”  
  
“’We’ being the Initiative?”  
  
She nodded. “I’ll try and talk them into a peaceful resolution.” She frowned, her eyes never leaving the track the Nomad followed. “But, we’re not leaving without those supplies.”  
  
He took a deep breath, finally understanding why she brought him along. “You’re hoping I can convince them to use the Collective for their goods, aren’t you?”  
  
She shrugged, but the faintest smirk tilted her lips. “I’d hoped we could at least try.”  
  
“They might be more willing to work with Kadara since Sloane’s gone,” Scott added.  
  
Reyes shook his head. “She’s been gone for over a year.” He looked at her. “Why would they suddenly want to work with us?”  
  
She sped around another turn, and then engaged the six-wheel drive as they climbed another hill. His stomach lurched less, and he realized the tension in his back had loosened some.  
  
“Something must have changed for them,” she said. “They didn’t bother Prodromos until a few months ago. We thought it was a one off, but they’ve made consistent raids since then.”  
  
“So,” Scott said. “We figure out what they need, and figure out how to get it for them.”  
  
She nodded.  
  
“Or,” Reyes said. “They refuse to work with us, and this turns into an unfortunate bloodbath.”  
  
Her brows pulled down, and she glanced at him. “I forgot how pessimistic you can be.”  
  
He shook his head. “Just a realist,” he said. “Better to be prepared for all outcomes.”  
  
She grunted, but said no more on the matter. The sound of the engine and the tires tearing through the sand was all that filled the cabin for a long while, until they crested another ridge and finally saw the exile encampment.  
  
She slowed the Nomad until they were going a reasonable speed for the first time as they approached the settlement. She steered with both hands on the wheel, the vehicle steady and unwavering in its heading. She wanted the residents to know they were coming.  
  
“How do you want to play this, Sis?” Scott leaned forward to look at her.  
  
“We just want to talk,” she said. She glanced back at her brother. “Keep your distance,” she told him. “No one brings a sniper if they just want to talk.” She glanced at Reyes and he smirked.  
  
She had a point.  
  
“And by ‘keep your distance’ you mean, ‘watch my back’,” Scott said.  
  
She smiled. “Why else would I bring you?”  
  
He shook his head and laughed. “You always bring me along.”  
  
She shrugged. “Because I always need someone to watch my back.”  
  
They reached the compound, and Sara brought the Nomad to a halt. Already several men with assault rifles were walking toward the edges of the camp. Luckily, none of the weapons were aimed at them, just held comfortably across their torsos.  
  
“Ready?” She asked Reyes.  
  
“I’ll follow your lead,” he said. And then he exited the car as she did.  
  
Sara raised her hands to show that her pistol was still holstered. Though, if they knew she was the Pathfinder, they’d know it didn’t matter if she had a gun in hand or not; Sara’s biotics made her a walking, talking weapon.  
  
Reyes mimicked her body language, raising his own hands. He hated it immediately. These men were desperate, he could see it in the tense lines of their shoulders and the grimy state of their clothes. Something had gone terribly wrong for these exiles.  
  
When they didn’t raise their weapons Sara continued towards them. Reyes fell into step just behind and to the right of her. His hands itched to pull his pistol from its holster, just so he could have some kind of defense against these tense and unpredictable men.  
  
As they approached, one man moved to the front to greet them.  
  
“Pathfinder,” he said. The sun reflected off his shaved head, and though his voice was friendly, his gray eyes were hard. “You’re a long way from Prodromos.”  
  
Sara put on her best smile. “That’s the truth,” she laughed. “You folks have set up camp on the edge of nowhere.”  
  
The man smiled, but it was tight-lipped. “Forgive me,” he said. “We haven’t actually been introduced.” He stepped froward his hand outstretched. “Thomas Aldrez,” he said. “I pass for the mayor of this settlement.”  
  
Sara nodded respectfully and shook his hand. “Sara Ryder,” she said, then gestured to Reyes. “This is my associate, Reyes Vidal.”  
  
The mayor nodded at him, and Reyes returned the gesture. It was better he stay quiet while Sara worked her magic.  
  
“What brings you to our little home ‘on the edge of nowhere’?” He asked.  
  
Sara frowned slightly. “I was hoping to talk to you about recent raids on Initiative shipments,” she said. There was no accusation in her voice, but it was clear she knew the exiles were behind the attacks.  
  
“Ah,” he said. The mayor’s shoulders stiffened, and the four men behind him tightened their grips on their rifles.  
  
Reyes glanced at Sara, his own posture hardening as he prepared to reach for his pistol. She tilted her head slightly, and he forced himself to relax. She never took her eyes off of the leader, and her body language never suggested that she wasn’t willing to listen.  
  
He wondered if she realized how far she’d come in the two years she’d been the Pathfinder.  
  
Aldrez eyed her uncertainly. “I’m not sure what you hope to learn,” he said.  
  
“I was hoping I could help you,” she said. “Prodromos needs those supplies, and the Initiative has tried to negotiate with your people, to no avail.”  
  
He nodded. “Forgive us, Pathfinder, but we do not trust Tann to uphold his end of any bargains.”  
  
“I don’t blame you,” she said. “Tann’s a conniving shit most days.”  
  
If Reyes weren’t so tense he would have chuckled at her. Leave it to Sara to use brutal honesty to try and bring desperate exiles into the fold.  
  
“Then what do you suggest, Ryder?” The mayor asked.  
  
“If you’d tell me what you need, I have,” she paused to look at Reyes. “A third party that might be able to solve all our problems.”  
  
“Is that so?” He glanced at Reyes and held his gaze. The gray eyes were suspicious and judgmental, but Reyes refused to look away, neither defensive nor aggressive. This ‘colony’ didn’t matter to the Charlatan one way or the other, but if he could make Sara’s life easier, he would sure as hell try.  
  
“Come,” he said. The men behind him visibly relaxed. “Let us speak somewhere more comfortable.”  
  
Sara smiled, bright and enthusiastic, and Reyes felt a swell of pride in his chest at her success.  
  
“I’d like that,” she said. “Thank you.” Then she raised a hand to her ear. “Stand down,” she said, loud enough for the gathered men to hear her. “We’re going in to discuss our options.”  
  
“Roger that,” Scott said over their comm channel. “I’ll keep sights on you for as long as I can.”  
  
Sara nodded, knowing her twin would see the movement, and then stepped forward to follow Aldrez, Reyes close behind her.  
  
  


Sara smiled the whole way back to the Tempest. She hadn’t had a mission go that smoothly in what felt like ages. The colony’s water supply had dried up, just like they’d warned her it would back when she’d placed the seismic hammers. She’d felt incredibly guilty when she realized it was her fault these people were stealing goods to try and survive. But, Prodromos had needed those underground waterways to flourish. She stood by her decision.  
  
Bringing Reyes along had been the right choice. She’d expected him to take over negotiations once they reached Aldrez’s office, but he’d deferred to her. And he’d followed her lead and example when he did finally speak up, using language that was promising and that suggested they were acting in the best interest of the settlement. It had taken a bit of convincing for Aldrez to agree to the Collective’s terms, but in the end he ensured that his people would have the provisions they needed.  
  
And Reyes had recruited a new operative as well as secured new textile trade. It turned out the exiles were doing well for themselves before they ran out of water. His calm demeanor throughout the process had impressed her. She’d expected suave smuggler, or maybe even the cool steel of the Charlatan, but instead he had just been Reyes, discussing the best options for the exiles.  
  
And she’d realized just how much she’d missed him.  
  
Sara glanced at him in the passenger seat, her grin firmly in place.  
  
“What?” He said, his own smile creeping up on him.  
  
“Excellent work out there, today,” she said.  
  
He shrugged. “All in a day’s work for the Charlatan.”  
  
She rolled her eyes. “Negotiate trade agreements with potentially hostile sovereignties very often, do you?”  
  
He laughed. “All right,” he said. “Although you did most of the negotiating.” He shrugged again, his shoulders loose as he relaxed in his seat; her driving no longer scared him. “I just wrote up the terms of the contract.”  
  
“Keep telling yourself that,” she said. “If I’d gone in there with anyone else it would have been a shootout.”  
  
He grunted. “You’re more than welcome to the spotlight, Pathfinder.” He smirked at her. “I’ll stick to my shadows.”  
  
“Oh gag,” Scott said from the backseat. “Are you two done buttering each other up? I’d hate to lose my appetite before dinner with Jil.”  
  
Sara glared at her brother in the rear view mirror. He smirked at her, an eyebrow raised. It was a dare, an attempt to goad her into denying that there was a residual spark between her and the Charlatan. But, before Sara could rise to the challenge, she felt Reyes shut off beside her. One moment he was warm and open, a flame she was hopelessly drawn to, and the next he was cold and barren, like the dark space beyond the Tempest’s view port.  
  
She turned to look at him, but he stared out of the window at the dusty landscape of Eos. His shoulders were tense again, and his jaw pulsed in the corner where he clenched it. She wanted to reach out and take his chin in her hand, to turn his face back to hers. To tell him it was okay, and that she was proud of him.  
  
Instead, she turned back to the windshield and focused on driving. As the silence wore on she glared at Scott in the rear-view mirror.  
  
His blue eyes, so much like their father’s, stared back at her from the backseat, creased with worry. “I’m sorry,” he mouthed. She held his gaze a moment longer, and then gave her head a curt shake. She wasn’t the one who needed his apology.  
  
Scott cleared his throat. “Gil and I were thinking about watching a vid tonight, after dinner.” He pulled himself forward by the backs of their seats. “You guys in?”  
  
“Sure,” Sara said, her voice carefully nonchalant. She’d seen pretty much every vid they’d downloaded from the Nexus, thanks to Liam, but she appreciated her brother’s efforts to make amends.  
  
“Maybe next time,” Reyes said, without looking away from his window. “I’ve got operatives to contact and a new trade route to establish.”  
  
Scott glanced at Sara, but she just shrugged. She wasn’t sure Scott would be able to bring the smuggler out of his dour mood. Which was a shame, because he really did deserve to celebrate. He’d played a vital role in solving Prodomos’ problems.  
  
“Sure thing, man,” her brother said. He clapped Reyes on the shoulder, and then sat back into his seat.  
  
The silence stretched on as they drove, though after a couple minutes Reyes turned his face forward again. She kept glancing at him, trying to gauge his emotions, but he had locked them down tight.  
  
She’d seen Reyes angry, when his golden eyes were molten with fury in her quarters over a year ago. She’d seen him afraid, when his brows pinched close to create a crease between them after she’d nearly lost her battle with an Eiroch. And she’d seen him broken, when his mouth pulled down so sharply that his chin quivered, and his eyes shone with unshed tears that night in Ditaeon.  
  
But now there was nothing, just an eerie stillness he’d slipped into to protect himself. To reestablish the distance that had to stay between them, the distance they’d both forgotten about in the wake of their mutual success.  
  
She steered the Nomad up the Tempest’s cargo ramp, the silence clinging to them like mist. Scott bolted from the car as soon as she put it into park, but Reyes didn’t move. Nor did he look at her.  
  
She sighed. It wasn’t his responsibility to create that distance. He needed to respect her boundaries, and so far he’d done just that. It was Sara’s fault he’d felt the need to shut down, because she was too weak to abide by her own carefully drawn lines.  
  
“You all right, Ryder?” He asked quietly.  
  
She nodded. “I’m sorry,” she said a moment later.  
  
“Don’t be,” he said. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I slipped up.” He shook his head.  
  
She looked over at him, suddenly all too aware of the fact that they were alone in the Nomad for the first time since he’d spent the night on the Tempest over a year ago. The air felt thick between them, charged with memories and possibilities.  
  
He still didn’t look at her. “It’s just,” he paused and licked his lips. “So hard to remember to be professional with you.”  
  
Sara’s breath caught in her throat, and his head snapped up to look at her at the sound. He held her gaze, and she couldn’t keep the heat from her cheeks as his eyes searched hers. He leaned forward, so subtle she wouldn’t have noticed if she weren’t keyed in to his every movement. The rise and fall of his chest as his heart rate increased. The flick of his tongue as it darted out to wet his lips. His eyes searching her face, seeking permission that they both knew she couldn’t give.  
  
And then he remembered himself and pulled away. “I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat and opened the passenger door. “I’ll, uh…” He glanced at her, but quickly looked away. “I’ll be in the biolab, if you need me.”  
  
Sara nodded, because she didn’t trust her voice just then. If she tried to speak, there was a good chance she would ask him to stay, to come back to her. And she couldn’t do that. So, she let him go without a word, silently watching his back as he all but ran away from her.


	9. Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Surprise! I will be out of town the next couple days on a much needed vacation, but didn't want to make you all wait for the next chapter, so I'm posting it early! I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> ... and I'm sorry. *Runs off to disappear in the Puget Sound*

Reyes stared down at the engine compartment of the Nomad, unsure if he could salvage the damage. Elaaden was a desert planet, completely covered in sand. He knew this, had even been planetside there once before he’d joined the Pathfinder’s team. And yet, it boggled him how Ryder had managed to get this much sand in the engine.  
  
He stood back with his hands on his hips to stare at the vehicle some more.  
  
“Having trouble down there?” Gil called down to him.  
  
Reyes looked over his shoulder at the engineer. “You never mentioned Elaaden when you relinquished Nomad repairs to me,” he said.  
  
Gil raised his eyebrows, his eyes wide with affected innocence. “I didn’t?” He shook his head. “I’m sure I did.”  
  
He shook his head at the engineer’s antics. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to help?”  
  
Gil considered him for a moment, and then sighed. “I’ll be right down.”  
  
Reyes knelt down, and slid under the chassis of the car. He got to work removing the various guards and pans that protected the underside of the Nomad. As he tugged at one protective plate, a trickle of sand fell on his forehead.  
  
“Ah, shit,” he murmured, and pulled the hem of his tank top up to cover his face. He braced his fingers into the edges of the plate and pulled.  
  
A veritable mountain of sand fell out of the compartment and onto his covered face. He scooted back out from under the car, coughing and spluttering sand from his nose and mouth. A string of colorful Spanish curses flooded from his lips as he sat up and brushed the sand from his face.  
  
“Oof,” Gil said from above him. “I think I’m glad my translator isn’t set for Spanish. My delicate ears couldn’t handle it.”  
  
Reyes glared at him as he brushed the grit from his tongue. The engineer chuckled, and then leaned over to look at the engine compartment.  
  
“Christ. She’s supposed to drive on the sand dunes, not through them.” He sighed, shaking his head. “I’ll get the air compressor,” he said.  
  
Reyes looked up at him. “We have an air compressor?”  
  
Gil grinned. “Of course we do!”  
  
“So, you were going to let me struggle with this for how long before you told me?”  
  
The engineer shrugged. “The Nomad is your responsibility now.” He smiled. “Good thing you asked for my help.” Gil offered him his hand, and the man pulled Reyes to his feet.  
  
“Let’s get this done,” he grumbled.  
  
“Mr. Vidal, Mr. Brodie,” SAM’s voice filtered into the cargo bay.  
  
“SAM,” Reyes greeted.  
  
“The Pathfinder has asked me to inform you both that our next destination is Kadara Port. It is our last stop before we embark for Alcaeus.”  
  
“Thanks, SAM,” Gil said.  
  
“You are welcome, Mr. Brodie.”  
  
Gil moved off to grab the compressor, while Reyes did his best to wipe away as much of the sand as he could from above the Nomad. When the engineer returned he had a distinctly uncomfortable look on his face.  
  
“She’s still not talking to you, huh?”  
  
Reyes glanced at the man, and then looked over his shoulder toward Liam’s room. The door was closed.  
  
“He’s not in,” Gil said. “He and Jaal are working on Lord knows what in the crew quarters.”  
  
Reyes nodded, but didn’t answer the question.  
  
“I know you probably don’t want to talk about it,” Gil started.  
  
“You’re right,” Reyes snapped. “I don’t.”  
  
Gil scowled at him. “Well, we can, if you ever want to.” Gil shrugged.  
  
He considered the engineer for a moment. “Scott put you up to this, didn’t he?”  
  
“What? No!” Gil watched him for a moment, and then sighed. “Yes, yes he did.”  
  
“Tell him I’m fine.”  
  
“Hardly seems true,” he said and then powered up the air compressor.  
  
Reyes rolled his eyes, and snatched the hose from Gil. The engineer pat him on the back twice, and then returned to his usual spot on the upper railing.  
  
Even with the help of pressurized air to clear the engine bay, it still took almost two hours to make sure the Nomad was sand free. And after that he still had to sweep up the millions of grains of sand that littered the cargo hold floor.  
  
But, he needed the distraction. Sara hadn’t spoken to him since their close call in the Nomad. He was such an idiot. He knew she was with Liam. He knew she was loyal to a fault, that she would never put herself or Liam in such an awkward and painful situation. Hell, she wouldn’t ever let him put himself in that situation. She would protect his honor just as much as she would her own.  
  
And so he deserved her evasion. His moment of weakness had led to a long three days of tense silence between them. He doubted anyone but Scott and Gil noticed it, since Sara and Reyes weren’t prone to being in one another’s company anyway, but it was obvious that she was avoiding him.  
  
SAM relayed any messages for her, and if he entered the room she avoided his gaze and left shortly thereafter. After the first morning, he’d made a point to visit the galley later in the day, just to let her eat her breakfast in peace.  
  
He knew it was for the best. He didn’t join her team to try and get back in her good graces, let alone to try and rekindle any feelings that might linger between them. He’d joined because finding the Keelah Si’yah was important, not just for the Collective, but for all of Heleus. Keeping things professional between them would be best for everyone.  
  
And yet, he hadn’t expected it to be so difficult. Or painful.  
  
He closed the hood of the Nomad, satisfied that there wasn’t a grain of sand left anywhere near the vehicle. He stowed the air compressor back in its spot, tucked away on a shelf in Vetra’s room, and then set about sweeping the cargo hold.  
  
Corralling the sand into piles proved more challenging than he’d expected, and it took twice as long as he hoped. He was bent, using the push broom to add to a particularly large pile when he heard footsteps behind him.  
  
He glanced over his shoulder and was surprised to see Sara standing there. She looked shocked, like she forgot he was working on the Nomad that evening.  
  
“Hey,” she said, the first word she spoke to him since he left her in the Nomad.  
  
“Hey,” he said. He straightened up, and he didn’t miss how her eyes raked over him, taking in his thin, sleeveless shirt and black cargo pants. He hadn’t thought twice about wearing the outfit; they were his typical shuttle maintenance clothes. But judging from Sara’s blush, it was more alluring than he realized.  
  
Normally, he’d smirk at her, make her blush more. But with things already so tense between them, he didn’t dare.  
  
“Um,” she said. “You’ve got sand.” She gestured at her forehead.  
  
“Oh!” He brushed at his forehead and fought back a blush of his own. Yeah, Vidal, he thought. You look real hot with half of the Sea of Ataraxia on your face.  
  
“No,” she said, and reached toward him to brush the sand from his hair.  
  
Reyes froze at the contact, staring at her with wide eyes. It was so casual, so intimate, as if there weren’t a million reasons why this moment was wrong.  
  
She recoiled, as if he’d electrocuted her, when she realized what she had done. “Shit,” she said, her cheeks bright red. “Fuck, Reyes, I’m sorry.” She looked away from him and down at her feet.  
  
He took a deep breath, his first since she’d touched him. Just the barest brush of her fingertips had sent a jolt of electricity through him and he knew they were on dangerous ground.  
  
She inhaled. “We need to talk about this,” she said.  
  
He closed his eyes and nodded. “I may have overestimated my self-control,” he admitted in a whisper.  
  
She looked up at him, her eyes wide. “ _Your_ self-control?” She shook her head. “I’m the idiot that keeps sending you mixed signals.” She glanced around the cargo hold, worried that someone might hear them.  
  
“Meet me in the biolab in a few minutes?” He asked. He needed the time to finish sweeping, and to get his thoughts in order.  
  
“Yeah,” she said, backing away from him. “Sounds good.” And then she bolted from the hold.  
  
Reyes sighed, and looked around the room. He had several piles of sand scattered around the cargo bay, and the last thing he wanted to do was sweep them up. What he really wanted to do was to vanish to his room and address the sudden heat that pooled low in his stomach.  
  
He dropped his head to rest on the broom handle. “Fuck.”  
  
  


This was a mistake. Sara had thought those words in regard to Reyes Vidal before, the night he’d assassinated Sloane Kelly. The night she’d promised him that nothing had changed. The night they’d first slept together, in his tiny apartment in the port.  
  
She shook her head to banish the memory. They needed to discuss and set firm boundaries. Thinking about fucking him was counter productive. And yet, the memories wouldn’t leave her be.  
  
She stood in front of the biolab door for a moment, but she heard Vetra’s footsteps coming up from the cargo bay, so she hurried inside.  
  
Reyes sat at his desk, and she noticed he’d changed into a loose fitting t-shirt. Small blessings, she thought.  
  
He spun in his chair to face her. “Ryder,” he greeted.  
  
Good, she thought. They could keep things professional and address the unspoken tension between them. Then they could move on with the mission.  
  
“I think I should stay in Kadara Port,” he said.  
  
She stared at him. “What?”  
  
He looked down at his hands where they rested in his lap. “I thought I could do this,” he said. The vulnerability in his voice surprised her.  
  
“Shit, Reyes.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I’m so sorry. I’ll do better,” she promised. “We can make rules, and I promise you, I will keep them.”  
  
He looked at her, and the hurt in his eyes made her gut clench. “I don’t think that’s what I want, Sara.”  
  
She stared at him, and she was pretty sure she wasn’t breathing. She was drowning in a swell of emotion and heat and possibility that she had no business feeling. “Reyes,” she whispered. She only breathed his name, but they both knew she was begging him not to go down that road.  
  
He shook his head in frustration. “I meant it when I said I wanted to come along to protect Collective interests. I meant it when I said finding the Keelah Si’yah was important work.” The words were pouring from him, more than he’d said to her the whole week he’d been on the ship. “It’s been over a year. I thought I could do this.” He looked back at her. “I thought I could keep this distance between us.” He looked away.  
  
She stood, her back pressed against the door. She was afraid that if she moved she would find herself in his arms, and that was the opposite of what they needed. “I think,” she started after a moment. “That we both underestimated the history and chemistry between us.”  
  
“That’s why it’d be best if I stayed on Kadara.”  
  
“No,” she pleaded. “You joined my crew, you’ve taken on responsibilities, like the Nomad, and I need a full team to go to Alcaeus.” She stared at him, willing him to see her perspective, as flimsy as her reasons were.  
  
“I don’t know if I can keep this up,” he said, his voice so quiet she almost didn’t hear him.  
  
She steeled herself, and forced the authority of the Pathfinder into her voice. “Stay,” she said. “We’ll both do better. Make sure we’re never alone together, keep things mission oriented when we are together.” She looked at him, her eyes pleading. “We can make this work.”  
  
He considered her for a moment, and she took the opportunity to convince him.  
  
“We’re two days from leaving Heleus,” she said. “If you leave now, I have to find a sixth squadmate that can offer similar skills.” She shook her head. “I’ll never find someone as qualified as you in time to save the ark.”  
  
His eyes bored into her, seeking out the truth. Sara refused to squirm under his gaze. She wasn’t lying; those were all valid reasons he should stay. But, she wasn’t willing to admit the full truth of the matter to herself, let alone to him.  
  
“Just for this mission,” she said. “If you want to leave after that, I won’t try and convince you otherwise.”  
  
He licked his lips as he considered her offer. She waited, holding her breath as she pressed her back into the door.  
  
“Okay, Ryder,” he said after a long moment of quiet. His voice was barely a whisper, and she hated how much she’d asked him to sacrifice. How much he would endure in the weeks to come? And why did it seem like she was always hurting him?  
  
“Okay,” she said, nodding. “Good.” She took a deep breath and smiled softly at him. “Thank you, Reyes.”  
  
He nodded and turned back to his computers. “I should get some sleep,” he said. The coldness of his voice chilled her to the bone, but it was better this way. For both of them.  
  
“Yeah,” she said. “Get some rest.”  
  
He nodded, but didn’t look at her, so she let herself out of the lab. She turned left to head toward her own quarters. As she slid down the ladder, Liam appeared in the doorway of the bathroom. He was fresh out of the shower, with just a towel around his hips. His smooth, dark skin gleamed from the heat, and the fresh scent of his soap greeted her.  
  
“Hey,” he said, all smiles.  
  
“Hey,” she said, decidedly less cheery.  
  
“What’s up?” He asked, concern crinkling the corners of his brown eyes.  
  
“Nothing,” she said, too quickly. “I just want to get this mission going already.”  
  
“Yeah,” he said. “Turns out we all had a bit more to get done than we thought.”  
  
She nodded and shuffled her feet awkwardly.  
  
“Did you wanna watch a vid tonight?” He asked.  
  
She shook her head. “I think I’m just going to go to bed,” she said.  
  
“Oh.” He blinked at her, his brow furrowing. “All right, then.”  
  
“Goodnight, Liam,” she said, and then stood on her toes to kiss his cheek goodnight. Before he could react she disappeared into her quarters.  
  
  


Reyes was the first off the ship once they landed in Kadara Port. He needed to feel the sticky summer heat on his skin, and though the smell of sulfur had long since dissipated, the air still smelled of hot metal and desert brush. He needed room to breathe, and there was no place better than Kadara; it was his home.  
  
It was silly to think of the planet as such, when he’d only lived there two years, but so much had happened in that time that he couldn’t help but consider Kadara his homeworld. He’d landed there after he left the Nexus, a stray shuttle riding on the coattails of a misguided rebellion. He’d built a life for himself, and then an empire. He’d become someone on Kadara.  
  
And he’d met Sara there.  
  
He slammed the call button on the lift, not waiting for any of the others before he took it down to the slums. He knew he would have to pay Keema a visit before they left, but he was too tightly wound to put up with her prying. He didn’t want the last conversation with his friend before he left to turn into a fight. So, he walked the familiar path to Tartarus, his feet taking him there without thought.  
  
The club was in full swing, despite the heat. Dancers gyrated behind the thick bars, red lights dousing them in angry shadows. The temperature left their bodies glistening in sweat, adding a gleam to their bodies as they roiled in the dark. Reyes felt a stirring heat beneath his belt and growled to himself.  
  
He was pent up, frustrated from a week of proximity with Sara that could lead to nothing. And he was about to subject himself to potentially three more months of that torture. He shook his head. He needed a release.  
  
He sat in one of the booths that faced the dancers and tried to appear relaxed. A moment later a server appeared, a clean glass and a new bottle of whiskey on her tray.  
  
“Well, well,” she purred. “The prodigal son has returned.”  
  
“Mia,” he smiled. He didn’t try to hide the heat in his gaze as he looked her over. She was tall and thin, with black hair in a short undercut. Her brown eyes were sharp, eyes that saw everything. The server was one of Kian’s trusted employees, and she was dutiful in relaying overheard conversations to the man. She was a big part of the bartender’s success as a Collective informant.  
  
And she had no idea that Reyes was anything more than a smuggler and a friend of her boss.  
  
She poured a generous serving of whiskey into the glass. “Kian says you put Kadara Port in your rear-view.” She raised a thin, black eyebrow at him, her lips pouting.  
  
He shook his head. “Now,” he said. “How could I ever do that? The Port is my home.”  
  
She sighed dramatically and sat beside him. “Plenty of people leave home,” she said.  
  
He nodded, not expecting the thoughtfulness in her voice. “Add it to my tab?” He asked, nodding at the bottle.  
  
She waved him off. “Kian already did before I brought it over.” She watched him for a second, and then her hand trailed up his thigh. Her touch was light, asking if that was what he wanted. When he didn’t stop her she squeezed this leg. “You look frustrated,” she whispered in his ear, her voice nearly lost to the pounding beat of the music. “Can I help you with that?”  
  
He glanced at her, a pang of guilt stabbing through his chest. This wasn’t the first time he’d come to Mia to take the edge off. She knew he had no interest in anything but sex, that he was unavailable to her in any other sense, and yet he was fond of her. She was a good person, by Kadara standards. She deserved better than to be used by him.  
  
She laughed at his conflicted expression. “You worry too much, Vidal,” she said. “It’s been nothing but work these last few months, and I’m overdue a good time.” She let her dark eyes roll over him and caught her bottom lip in her teeth. “And your always good for that.”  
  
Heat pooled low in his gut, and he let it darken his eyes as he watched her stand.  
  
“I’m off in an hour,” she said. “I’ll make sure the room upstairs is empty.” She winked at him and went back to work.  
  
Reyes watched her go, and then turned his attention back to the dancers. Anything to keep his mind off the truth. Off the fact that the person he really wanted was somewhere in the market above him, with the bright blue eyes and sandy brown hair he saw every time he closed his eyes.

 


	10. Taut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm back! Hurray! My trip was a whirlwind of lovely sights and experiences, but I am dying to get back to this fic!  
> Blacksheep33512, fair warning... I consider this chapter rock bottom.

Sara woke early the next morning, her nerves jangling through her in anticipation of their journey out of Heleus that day. She sat in Suvi’s chair on the bridge, sipping her coffee as she looked out on Kadara one last time. In the murky, pre-dawn light the badlands looked quiet and peaceful.  
  
She stroked Perry’s fur as the pyjak slept curled in her lap. The ship was silent while everyone else slept, and Sara took advantage of the rare moment to pull herself together. So, she sat, soaking in the quiet while she watched the dark Kadara sky brighten with the rising sun.  
  
Her mug was nearly empty and her heart had finally settled in her chest when the airlock activated.  
  
She spun in her chair to find Reyes boarding the ship. His hair was disheveled, black strands falling onto his forehead, and his white shirt was rumpled. He looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes and his eyelids hanging low.  
  
All of this Sara noticed in the span of her heartbeat. What her eyes stuck on were the red and purple marks that littered his neck, and the suddenly horrified look on his face.  
  
He cleared his throat and schooled his features into that carefully blank mask he favored around her lately. Ever since their conversation. “Good morning, Ryder.” He looked down, trying to hide his blush.  
  
“Good morning,” she said. Her words were rough with the last remnants of sleep, and her voice cracked a little with the effort. “There’s coffee in the galley,” she added after clearing her throat.  
  
He nodded. He looked up at her, opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again with a shake of his head. And then he walked out of the room without another word.  
  
She held her breath until he was gone, and then exhaled, spinning back to face the view port.  
  
She tried to reason with herself. It was their last night in Heleus, it made sense that he would want to spend it with someone. She was under no illusions that Reyes had been celibate over the last year, and she didn’t want him to be. He didn’t have to defend himself and he didn’t owe her any explanations. Thankfully, he hadn’t offered any; she didn’t want details.  
  
But after their conversation the other night, seeing the evidence of his time spent in another’s bed was shocking to her. And distinctly unpleasant. She didn’t want to think about someone else’s mouth on his neck, savoring the salty flush of his skin. She didn’t want to imagine someone else’s hands on his body, pulling those little pleased sounds from deep within his chest. She didn’t want to wrestle with the thought that he had gone to someone else to find the comfort and pleasure she couldn’t, wouldn’t provide.  
  
And she definitely didn’t want the realization that the turbulent discomfort she felt in her stomach was exactly how he felt every time he saw her with Liam.  
  
There was a hot sting behind her eyes as her frustration and shame sought the only release available to her. She tried to fight them off, but the tears were already falling. Her shaking hand ran down Perry’s back, hoping to steal some shred of comfort from the animal. After a moment she took a deep, steadying breath and finished her coffee, then she sat in trembling sadness as she watched her last Kadaran sunrise.  
  
And if the pale blues and pinks that appeared just behind the mountains shimmered more than she remembered, if the fiery orange wavered into life through the veil of her tears, well, she figured that was fitting.  
  
“Ryder,” Suvi said, interrupting Sara’s reverie. “I didn’t expect you to be up yet.”  
  
Sara wiped at her face as discreetly as possible, banishing the tears that left tracks on her cheeks, and then turned to face her science officer.  
  
“Just watching the sunrise.” She smiled at Suvi. “It’s our last one in Heleus for a while.”  
  
Suvi nodded, but her bright eyes were concerned. “Is everything all right?” She asked after a moment.  
  
Sara scooted Perry off her lap so she could stand. The pyjak trilled at her, displeased with being displaced. She smiled as she watched him sulk away from her.  
  
“I’m fine, Suv,” she said, finally.  
  
Suvi watched her for a minute but eventually nodded. “All right, then.” She pointed just past Sara. “I just came to get my mug,” she said.  
  
“Oh!” Sara pulled the cup from where it hung at an odd angle, thanks to its magnetic base.  
  
“Thanks,” the redhead said. She stepped away, but paused to look back at Sara as the door opened. “We’re all here for you, you know” she said. “If you want to talk.”  
  
Ryder swallowed at the lump in her throat and nodded. And then Suvi left to go about her morning routine. Sara moved to stand at the galaxy map, her hip leaned against the rail as she watched the sun crest the tallest of Kadara’s mountains. Only once the bright rays of the morning son blossomed through the bridge did she resign herself to facing the day.  
  
But first things first; she needed more coffee.  
  
  


“It’s killing you, isn’t?” Keema’s words rattled against the inside of his skull, pulsing painfully in time with his heartbeat. Kian’s whiskey and the promise of more of Mia’s particular brand of distraction had convinced him to return to Tartarus later that evening. But not before he made an appearance at the former Outcast HQ. And, as predicted, Keema’s input on his situation had been frustratingly accurate.  
  
Reyes lay sprawled on one of the bunks in the empty crew quarters, his arm over his eyes to try and block out some of the searing fluorescent light. The Tempest was waking up around him, when all Reyes wanted to do was sleep, but his heartbeat thumped in his pickled brain and his stomach rolled in queasy waves, keeping him awake.  
  
“You’re pulled tight, Vidal,” Keema had said. “Seems the Pathfinder has a hold on you yet.”  
  
The door to the bathroom whispered open, but the sound still reverberated against the walls of his brain. Excruciatingly. He groaned and rolled to face the wall.  
  
A throaty chuckle, both friendly and a little judgmental, came from behind him. “Long night?” Vetra asked.  
  
He grunted, but didn’t turn to look at her.  
  
“That good, huh?”  
  
He glanced over his shoulder at the turian, not bothering to conceal his frustration. “Is there a reason you insist on torturing me?”  
  
She hummed, her gravelly, dual-toned voice vibrating in his head. “Heard you made it back just before sunrise.”  
  
His brow furrowed. Was Sara talking about him?  
  
“I ran into Suvi in the galley,” she explained.  
  
And he’d run into Suvi on his way into to the crew quarters. He groaned as he rolled over to face her, his stomach lurching dangerously. “Fuck,” he moaned. He was getting too old to drink like that anymore.  
  
Vetra leveled her cool, green eyes on him. “I also heard that the Pathfinder was crying on the bridge by herself.”  
  
Reyes closed his eyes and sighed. He’d used the airlock to return to the Tempest specifically because he expected the bridge to be empty at that hour. But, of course he had no such luck. And, of course, it had to be her sitting on the bridge in her stupid Blasto shirt and leggings.  
  
“Why are you telling me this?” He asked.  
  
She was silent as she thought about what to say. Reyes kept his eyes closed as he sat up, partly in anticipation of whatever verbal lashing Vetra was about to unleash on him, but mostly because he might puke if his eyes were open.  
  
Instead, Vetra’s voice was soft when she spoke. “What happened, Vidal?”  
  
He scrubbed at his face and leaned forward into the light. Vetra gasped at the sight of his bruised neck. He hadn’t noticed how bad the hickeys were until after he’d run into Sara, but that did little to make him feel any less ashamed.  
  
“Spirits, Reyes,” Vetra grumbled. “She saw you like that?”  
  
He nodded, and opened his eyes to stare down into his lap.  
  
“So,” she said after a moment. She leaned back, one foot resting against the wall as she crossed her arms over her keel. “What’s going on between you two?”  
  
“Nothing,” he said. But his frustration at the fact was plain.  
  
Vetra opened her mouth to argue with him, but Sara’s voice on the intercom stopped her.  
  
“Everyone up to vidcon,” her voice filtered into the room. “It’s show time!”  
  
He watched the turian, curious to see if she would try and continue their conversation, but she just shook her head at him. “Come on,” she said.  
  
The last thing he wanted to do was walk anywhere, let alone climb a ladder and a flight of stairs. But, duty called, so he followed Vetra out of the crew quarters and up to the briefing room. It was slow progress for him, and so he was the last one there.  
  
He felt every pair of eyes turn to him, take in his disheveled appearance and the bruises on his neck, and then they all turned back to Sara. Every person in the room waited for her reaction, and Reyes couldn’t believe he’d allowed himself to put her in such an awkward position. He was an idiot. He took a deep breath and looked up to find only Liam still watched him, a smug smile curling one corner of his mouth.  
  
They’d agreed to be civil, but if they’d been alone in that moment Reyes would have punched the smirk off the man’s lips. He kept his face blank, but let the cold dislike he felt for Liam seep into his eyes.  
  
“All right,” Sara said, calling her crew’s attention. “This is it.” She took a moment to look each of them in the eye. “We don’t know what’s out there. We have no idea what we’ll find.”  
  
She pulled up the image of V428 again. “Preliminary scans of the system aren’t good. There’s no golden world.” She looked up at the room, her face grim. “If they evacuated then things must have been bad enough on the Ark that they thought life in the system would be better.”  
  
“And if they didn’t evacuate?” Gil asked.  
  
“Then, job’s over, right?” Liam said. “If they didn’t evacuate, then we bring them home.” He shrugged.  
  
Scott set cold blue eyes on the man. “Or they’re all dead and we meet some new unknown hostile capable of decimating an Ark.”  
  
“Nice, babe,” Gil said under his breath from beside Reyes.  
  
“Good,” Sara said with a smirk. “Now that we’ve got best and worst case scenarios established, let’s talk timeline. SAM?”  
  
“Pathfinder.”  
  
“How long until we reach the Keelah Si’yah?”  
  
“Barring any unforeseen obstacles, roughly five days.”  
  
She nodded, then looked back to her crew. “We have five days to prepare.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “When we get to the ark we’re taking two teams in. I’ll lead one, Scott will lead the other.”  
  
“What?” Scott and Liam asked together.  
  
She silenced each of them with a hard glance. “Vetra will stay on board.” She eyed the turian. “You’ll be in charge should something happen to either squad leader.”  
  
Vetra held Sara’s gaze, her mandible flicking irritably. She wasn’t a fan of being left behind, but eventually nodded her agreement.  
  
“Peebee, Jaal,” Sara said. “You’ll be with Scott. Liam and Reyes, you’re with me.”  
  
He felt Liam’s gaze fall on him, but Reyes kept his focus on the Pathfinder. Her eyes flicked over to him for a moment, and he let his brows furrow. _What are you doing?_ He wondered. Her blues eyes held his for a few more seconds, and then she looked back at the image of V428.  
  
“Mission goals are straightforward enough. Board the ark, assess the damage, do what we have to in order to bring her home.” She looked around at her gathered team. “Questions?”  
  
There was some shuffling feet, and both Scott and Liam looked ready to go to war, but no one said a word.  
  
She nodded again. “Enjoy the next few days. Once we get to Alcaeus, the real work starts. Dismissed.”  
  
Reyes stood back and watched as the Pathfinder bolted from the vidcon table, Liam close on her heels. Scott tried to follow, but Gil grabbed his arm as he tried to move past them.  
  
“Let her deal with one over-protective male at a time,” he said to her twin, his voice low and soothing.  
  
Scott glared at the engineer, but didn’t pull away.  
  
As Reyes stood with the pair, he thought of what dangers lurked in the vast unknown of Alcaeus, within the walls of an ark that didn’t want to be found, and his stomach rolled. This time, he wasn’t sure his hangover had anything to do with it.  
  
  


Sara heard Liam storming behind her, but she refused to acknowledge him until they were safely inside the soundproof walls of her quarters. Once the doors hissed shut she turned to face him, arms across her chest.  
  
Liam stood mirroring her own stance, arms crossed and hip cocked. “What the hell are you thinking?”  
  
“That two teams to sweep the ark makes more sense than one team getting potentially overrun by an unknown enemy.”  
  
“Why bring Vidal?”  
  
Sara was sick of Liam’s constant questioning when it came to Reyes, and she let the frustration show as her biotics enhanced the blue of her eyes. “Because, this mission is why he’s even on this ship!”  
  
“So, put him in the other squad!” Liam glared, unfazed by her display. “You always bring Scott with you.”  
  
“And who will lead the second squad? Peebee?”  
  
Liam shrugged. “I could have,” he sniffed.  
  
She rolled her eyes. “Like you’d be satisfied not being on my team for this mission. Plus,” she added. “I need someone in charge of that team that will keep a clear head if things go south for mine.”  
  
He scoffed. “You think Scott wouldn’t risk everything to save you?”  
  
She shook her head. “Scott is more like Dad than you know.” She smiled, and it was a little sad. “If we’re working, he’ll do what’s best for the mission.”  
  
“I think you underestimate him.”  
  
“I think you do.” She looked down at her feet. “If my last command is to finish the mission, or to get the hell out of there,” she sighed. “Scott will do it.”  
  
“Hey,” Liam said, his voice softer. He stepped into her, pressing her back against the arm of her couch. Gentle fingers tipped her chin up to look him in the eye. “That’s not going to happen,” he promised.  
  
She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I know,” she said. “Because you’ll have my back.”  
  
“Too right,” he said, and dipped his face down to taste her lips. They stood there for a moment, Liam’s hand firm against the back of her head as they kissed, sharing reassurances that this mission wouldn’t be absolutely FUBAR, and then he pulled away.  
  
“I think your brother wanted a word with you.”  
  
She groaned. “I’m sure he does.”  
  
“I’ll send him down?”  
  
“Thanks,” she said with a nod. She watched as Liam left the room, and prepared her speech for her brother. At this rate, it was going to be a long five days.  
  
  


Reyes took the long way back to the crew quarters, walking from the conference room to engineering, then taking the lift down, and walking back up to the bunks. All so he could avoid the ladder. He was exhausted and covered in a cold sweat by the time he reached the crew quarters. He briefly considered visiting the bathroom, so he could puke his brains out, but the temptation of being horizontal was too much. He entered the room to find it empty, and he sighed in relief as he sprawled into a bunk.  
  
“SAM?” He asked to the room.  
  
“Yes, Mr. Vidal?”  
  
“Any chance you can dim these lights?”  
  
“Certainly, Mr. Vidal.” The AI complied with his request, and as the room darkened, Reyes almost cried with relief. “It seems that you are severely dehydrated, Mr. Vidal.”  
  
Reyes winced as the AI’s voice throbbed in his head. “Yeah, SAM. It’s called a hangover.”  
  
“I am familiar with the phenomena.”  
  
“Then are you familiar with how sound sensitive someone with a hangover is?”  
  
“Apologies, Mr. Vidal,” SAM said, his volume lower. “I have alerted Dr. T’Perro of your condition.”  
  
“What?” He looked around the room, as if he could find SAM and glare at him. “Why?”  
  
“She has requested I alert her to any health concerns among the crew.”  
  
“It’s just a hangover, SAM.” He was about to argue that the AI tell the doctor he was fine, when the door opened. He opened one eye to see Lexi scanning the room. She met his gaze with a raised eyebrow.  
  
“I thought you looked pale during our briefing,” she said quietly.  
  
He grunted and closed his eyes.  
  
“So much for your three drink maximum, huh?” She sat beside him on the bunk, her hands moving expertly over the clammy skin of his face and neck.  
  
He chuckled, and his stomach rolled in response. Reyes groaned and slowed his breathing.  
  
“Nausea?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“Headache as well, I assume.”  
  
“That’s an understatement.”  
  
She chuckled softly, and helped him sit up. “I’ll be right back,” she promised. “Stay there.”  
  
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, and then counted her absence in deep, fortifying breaths.  
  
The doctor reappeared with a glass of water and two tablets. She handed him the glass. “This is electrolyte water. You’ll want to drink all of it, slowly.” Then she gave him the tablets. “Painkillers should help with the headache.”  
  
Reyes tossed the tablets into the back of his mouth and gulped at the water.  
  
“Slowly,” she reminded him. “Else you won’t keep it down.”  
  
He took another sip and then nodded. “Thanks, Lexi,” he said.  
  
She smiled. “It’s what I’m here for, Reyes.”  
  
He arched an eyebrow. “To treat hangovers?”  
  
She shrugged. “Among other things.”  
  
He took a deep breath, willing his stomach to settle so he could take another deep drink of water. Once he finished the glass, Lexi took it and he reclined back onto the mattress.  
  
“Speaking of others things,” she started after a moment.  
  
Reyes groaned. “I knew it. You waited until I couldn’t run away.”  
  
He could hear the smile in her voice. “It does seem I have the upper hand, doesn’t it?”  
  
“What do you want to know?” He didn’t have any interest in answering her questions, but he was surprised she managed to wait this long to speak with him.  
  
“Just how you’re doing,” she said. “It must be quite the adjustment from having your own apartment these last few years to sharing a ship the size of the Tempest.”  
  
He shrugged. “Not like I haven’t done it before.”  
  
“You have?”  
  
“I served with the Alliance for six years, and lived at the Academy for two years before that.” It was a big admission, and he blamed his aching head for letting his guard down.  
  
“I didn’t know that,” she said. Her voice soft, almost soothing to his over-sensitive ears.  
  
“Not many do.” He could hear her mulling over her questions in the silence, picking and choosing the ones she thought he was most likely to answer. Her mental portfolio on him was growing by the minute.  
  
“And, are you getting along well with everyone?”  
  
He chuckled, and was pleased to note that his stomach didn’t lurch quite as aggressively. “By ‘everyone’ you mean Liam?”  
  
She laughed, a pleasant and warm sound. “I’m that transparent, am I?”  
  
“You know you are, Doc.”  
  
“I also know you’re trying to avoid the question.”  
  
He sighed. “We agreed to be civil,” he said. He draped an arm over his eyes, the pressure subduing his headache a little. “So far, it’s holding. But, it’s only been a week. Give us some time and I’m sure we can come up with an excuse to trade blows.”  
  
“And the Pathfinder?”  
  
Reyes peered at Lexi from under his arm. “What about her?”  
  
“How are things between you two?”  
  
He let his head fall back to the pillow, and regretted the resulting thump that echoed through his skull. But, it was better than the swelling ache in his chest the doctor poked at. “Professional,” he admitted. “Tense when one of us forgets that’s how it has to be.”  
  
“And are you forgetting often?”  
  
Did he catch a hint of hope in the doctor’s voice? “No,” he said. “Not anymore,” he added. “We… talked about it.”  
  
“And you’re satisfied with that?”  
  
“Whose side are you on?” He asked, and Lexi gave a much more genuine laugh. It lit up her face, and Reyes was struck by how reserved the doctor usually was in comparison with the suddenly jovial woman before him.  
  
“You sound just like Sara,” she said. “And I’ll tell you what I told her. I am on everyone’s side. It’s my job to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of everyone on this ship.” She eyed him carefully, a smirk playing on her lips. “And that includes you, now.”  
  
He groaned. “Next you’re going to tell me I need a round of shots.”  
  
“Well,” she said. “Now that you mention it…”  
  
He looked up at her to see a wicked grin on her blue lips.  
  
“Kidding!” She laughed. She patted his leg, her demeanor all warmth. “Get some rest, Vidal. You should start feeling better in an hour or so.”  
  
“Thanks, Lexi,” he said. He covered his face again and listened to her leave the room. He counted his breaths in the silence trying not to think of anything, until he fell into blissful, recuperative sleep.


	11. Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, a couple things about this chapter. First, it's really long. Sorry, not sorry. There's stuff that needs doing and this was the pacing that made the most sense. Second, it's a little self-indulgent. There's a lot of plot coming up in the next few chapters, and so a large amount of this chapter is... not. Hopefully you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it!

On the fourth day after they left Kadara Port, Reyes stood elbow deep in the Nomad’s engine compartment for what must have been the fiftieth time. Five days was entirely too long. He’d caught up on all his lieutenants’ reports, and had even replied to Keema’s endless stream of personal emails, answering all kinds of ridiculous questions. The Nomad was the only thing left that he could sink his time into.  
  
He was adjusting the fastenings on one of the shield boost mods when the door to Liam’s room opened. Reyes turned to see Jaal and Liam exit the room, neither of them wearing a shirt. Reyes rolled his eyes; Liam could always find an excuse to lose his shirt.   
  
“Hey, Vidal,” Liam called. “You almost done with that?”  
  
Reyes returned his attention to the mod. “Yeah,” he groaned as he leaned in to find the right bolts. His fingers tightened them as far as they would turn, and then he leaned back and closed the hood. “Why?” He asked, wiping his hands on the towel that dangled from his back pocket.  
  
“We are going to practice our hand-to-hand combat.”  
  
“Spar, Jaal,” Liam said, his hands on his hips. “We’re going to spar.”  
  
“Right.” The angara nodded.  
  
Reyes stared at both of them, unsure what they expected of him. They stared back, and Liam crossed his arms in frustration at Reyes’ apparent refusal to oblige him. “And what do you need me to do?” Reyes finally asked.  
  
Jaal chuckled, an oddly comforting sound, and punched Liam on the shoulder playfully. “He has not witnessed this yet.”  
  
“Oh! Right!” Liam smiled. “Here.” He stepped around the Nomad to key in a command on the console on the wall.  
  
Reyes stepped back as a deep, mechanical whir filled the hold and the Nomad raised up on a platform, until it was even with the second level.  
  
At the sound, Vetra poked her head out of her room. “Who’s fighting?” She asked.  
  
“Me and Jaal,” Liam called to her. He grinned. “Why? You wanna take winner?”  
  
Vetra laughed as she joined them. “I have no interest in fighting Jaal,” she said.  
  
Reyes and the angara chuckled at Liam’s frown. And then Gil stuck his head over his customary railing.   
  
“Are you sparring?”  
  
“Yes!” Jaal’s excited voice boomed through the cargo hold, and a moment later Scott appeared next to the engineer, already typing a message onto his omnitool.  
  
“Wait for me!” He called, hurrying to the lift. Gil rolled his eyes, but followed dutifully after his Ryder twin.   
  
Within five minutes everyone on board was in the cargo bay. Peebee, Suvi, Kallo, and Sara all sat perched on various crates, laughing together, while Gil and Lexi stood on opposite ends of the room. Scott and Vetra flanked Reyes, watching Jaal and Liam as they warmed up in the center of the hold.  
  
“All right,” Lexi started, her voice louder than Reyes had ever heard it before. “I’ll explain the rules for the newcomer’s sake.”  
  
Reyes crossed his arms, but nodded his thanks to the doctor.  
  
“I’ll also repeat them for Mr. Kosta’s sake.” She glared at Liam. “Since he’s so keen to argue them with me.”  
  
Chuckles filled the room as Liam looked down to grumble at his feet.  
  
“These are hand-to-hand contests only. Any use of biotics, bioelectrics, or weaponry will result in forfeiture of the bout.” She gave stern looks to Jaal and Scott. “A bout is over when someone gets pinned. The match is called with two out of three bouts won.” She looked around the room, her face serious. “Keep it clean,” she said. “I’m here to soothe bruised knuckles, set broken noses, and bandage busted lips. But that’s it.” She waited a moment, but when no one spoke up, she nodded to Gil.  
  
“Well, then,” he boomed with a wide grin. “Let’s get to the fun part!” He walked to stand between to the two fighters, and then raised an arm in Jaal’s direction. “In this corner we have Resistance Fighter and Kosta’s arch-nemesis, Jaal ama Darav!”  
  
The spectators cheered and clapped as Jaal bowed gracefully.  
  
“And in this corner,” Gil yelled, raising his other arm toward Liam. “We have the glutton for punishment, the indomitable underdog, Liam Kosta!”  
  
The crew laughed and clapped, and Sara whooped loudly in support as Liam waved to the gathered crowd.  
  
Gil shushed them with his hands, and then tapped at his omnitool. Every other omnitool in the room pinged, and Reyes looked down to see he’d been sent an invitation to place a wager.  
  
“You have a minute to place your bets, and then the match begins!”  
  
Reyes grinned and placed his bet. He was surprised to see even Lexi and Kallo were wagering on the fight, but then his eyes went to the Pathfinder. Her face was closed off, watching Liam carefully, but he couldn’t help but wonder who she bet on.   
  
Gil stood in the center of the room, watching the countdown on his omnitool. “Three, two, one… Fight!” And then he backed away to his original post across from Lexi.  
  
Liam and Jaal circled one another. The angara kept his weight forward in his feet, his back hunched as he coiled to keep his stomach protected, even as his eyes searched his opponent for openings. Liam was light on his feet, flitting around Jaal, his arms loose and ready to jab. But, Reyes noticed, he didn’t hold his right arm as close to his face as he should.  
  
Jaal reached out and took advantage of the gap. His fist connected with Liam’s shoulder, just missing his jaw thanks to the man’s quick reflexes. The crowd cheered, and Liam and Jaal grinned at each other.  
  
And so it went, Jaal taking his time and planning his punches, while Liam danced and jabbed at the well-guarded angara. It was no wonder Liam couldn’t defeat him; he wore himself out before he had the chance to land any critical hits.   
  
Liam stepped in too close, and Jaal was ready for him. Coiled and prepared, Reyes almost missed the angara reach out and grapple for Liam’s shoulders. He snagged the smaller man, spun him, and with a businesslike kick to the back of the knees, pinned Liam to the cargo hold floor.  
  
“Ow.” Liam’s voice was muffled against the metal floor, but they could all tell he wasn’t actually injured.  
  
“That’s one,” Gil shouted. The two separated, and prepared to face off again. While Liam managed to get a few good hits in, including a solid right hook into the sensitive fleshy tendrils on the the left side of Jaal’s face, he didn’t have the stamina to take down the angara. The next bout went to Jaal, and brought the match to an end.  
  
“All right,” Gil said. “Surprise, surprise, Jaal was heavily favored. Suvi and Peebee were the only ones to bet on Liam.”  
  
Suvi shrugged. “He’s got to win sometime, right?”  
  
Reyes caught Liam giving Sara an exasperated look, but she just smiled at him, laughter lurking behind her eyes.  
  
“Who’s next?” Gil asked the crew.  
  
Scott stepped forward and punched Reyes on the shoulder. “Let’s get the new guy in the ring.”  
  
Reyes laughed. “You just want me to take off my shirt,” he said with a wink. The room erupted with laughter.  
  
“Damn,” Scott said after it quieted down, peeling off his Initiative t-shirt. “You caught me. Are you in or not?”  
  
Reyes smirked, and tugged off his tank top. “Oh, I’m in.”  
  
“You’re both disgusting,” Gil told them, amid more chuckles from the crew. They took a moment to warm up, Reyes rolling his shoulders and neck, limbering up the muscles that had done nothing but hunch over terminals and omnitools for far too long. He watched as Scott dropped down and did a quick series of push-ups, boosting his adrenaline and activating his muscles. It was a good idea.  
  
And it was posturing. For all his intelligence and Infiltrator training, the male Ryder twin was still a little vain. He was health conscious, worked out more than Reyes ever did, and he was competitive. Reyes would use that to his advantage.  
  
“All right,” Gil called. He swept an arm toward Reyes. “In this corner we have the challenger, the shadowy smuggler with a smirk that kills.” The room laughed, and the description even pulled a chuckle from Reyes. “Reyes Vidal!”  
  
The cheers were perfunctory, polite but unenthusiastic. They were all curious as to what kind of fighter he would turn out to be.  
  
Gil turned his sights on Scott. “And in this corner, we have the undefeated, the magnificent, the strikingly handsome, the chiseled perfection-”  
  
“Get on with it!” Sara yelled from her crate. The room exploded with more laughter, and Scott wagged his eyebrows at her.  
  
Gil shot her an exaggerated glare, but then shouted, “Scott Apollo Ryder!”  
  
The cargo hold filled with cheers and clapping and even more laughter. Reyes couldn’t keep his own mirth off his face. Was this what life on the Tempest was usually like? Raucous laughter and unbelievable hijinks? They all spent time together, honestly happy, and it warmed something inside him he’d long since forgotten. Something he’d buried away back on Elysium.  
  
“Place your bets!” Gil called, and Reyes focused back on Scott as the crowd hushed. “Three, two, one… Fight!” The engineer yelled, and then again retreated from the ‘ring’.  
  
They circled, each sizing the other up. Scott kept a traditional boxer’s stance, one foot forward, and his off arm in front of his main hand. His form was good, tight and defensive, but ready to strike. He didn’t dance, didn’t waste energy, and his eyes were sharp, studying his target. With his three inch height advantage, Scott had better reach than Reyes.  
  
Scott feinted, testing Reyes’ defenses, but the smuggler moved with him, prepared for the attempt. Scott had reach, but Reyes had speed.  
  
Scott smiled at him. “Where’d you learn your hand-to-hand?”  
  
Reyes shrugged one shoulder, bringing his right fist back into position to guard his ribs as he followed Scott’s movements. “Alliance basic,” he said. “You?” He lunged forward and jabbed at Scott’s face. As expected, the move was successfully blocked.  
  
“Same,” the twin said with a grunt. A couple more jabs came from Scott’s right hand, and Reyes let them land. The twins were both left handed, which made boxing Scott a little disorienting.  
  
They circled a few more times, Scott jabbing and testing his defenses, and Reyes let him have a few hits, to lull the man into thinking he’d sized up his opponent. And then he saw his opening.  
  
Scott dropped his weight back just a touch, prepping for a powerful blow from his left hand. As the fist came at him, Reyes dropped, swinging a leg out to topple Scott. Using his own momentum from the kick, he stood and closed in on the downed man. He dropped a knee to Scott’s chest and a hand went to close around his throat.  
  
The crew gasped collectively.  
  
“Where’d you learn that?” Scott wheezed, the breath knocked out of him from his fall.  
  
Reyes grinned. “Did I forget to mention I ran with the Blue Suns as a kid?”  
  
The cargo hold erupted into a din of excited chatter and cheers.  
  
“That’s one,” Gil called, and Reyes released his loose hold on Scott’s neck. He took his friend’s hand and pulled him up, before they squared off again.  
  
This time Scott was on the defensive. He was Reyes’ shadow, only moving when he did. It was such a drastic change from the previous bout that it almost felt like fighting a completely different person. It was Reyes’ turn to go on the offensive, and he feinted and jabbed, testing Scott and his strong technical skill.  
  
Reyes stepped in, committing to a right hook, and saw the exact moment he fucked up. As his arm swung out to connect with Scott’s jaw, the twin ducked to the side and grabbed his arm, pulling Reyes past him. Scott spun, placing a sure foot to the back of Reyes’ knee, and let momentum do the rest.  
  
Reyes crashed to the floor, the breath forced from his lungs as Scott sat on his back, pinning his legs and pulling his right arm behind him in a nearly painful position. Scott’s left hand pushed Reyes’ face down to the ground, so that Reyes could just see him out of the corner of his eye.  
  
“Where’d you learn that?” He asked, his voice muffled by the floor.  
  
Scott grinned, panting. “My dad was N7. I knew that before I even went to the Academy.”  
  
“That’s bout two!” Gil called.  
  
Scott jumped off of him, and helped Reyes stand. They each shook out their arms and legs, rolling their necks and shoulders. Already Reyes could tell he would be tender in the morning; Scott was a good boxer.  
  
And then they circled again. For all his assumptions of Scott’s competitive nature, he had to admit he was just as bad. Both men came out swinging, determined to take the last bout and the match. After taking an aggressive series of jabs that busted his lip, Reyes got a lucky hit to Scott’s temple, and the younger man reeled back to reestablish some distance between them.  
  
But Reyes was relentless. He chased Scott, closing in and landing two solid body blows. As the distance between them vanished Reyes hooked an arm under Scott’s left arm and kicked out his feet, dropping them both to the ground. Scott struggled beneath Reyes for a moment trying to flip them, but Reyes had him pinned.  
  
When Scott finally gave up his struggle the whole crew groaned in defeat, except for one victorious laugh. That laugh filled Reyes with enough warmth that he was sure he could fight Scott for nine more rounds if she only commanded it.  
  
“That’s three,” Gil yelled. The engineer ran forward and dragged Reyes up by one arm, raising it over their heads. “Apollo has fallen!”  
  
Reyes laughed, panting, and pulled away from Gil to help Scott to his feet. “How’s your head?” He asked.  
  
Scott touched a ginger finger to his eyebrow, checking to see if he was bleeding. When his finger came away clean he grinned. “Sore,” he panted. “I, uh…” he pointed at Reyes’ mouth. “Sorry about that.”  
  
Reyes shrugged. “If someone isn’t bleeding at the end of bare knuckle boxing, you’re doing it wrong.”  
  
“Speaking of blood,” Lexi said, appearing at his side. “Let me see.” She spun him to get a better look at his bleeding lip, but Reyes’ eyes locked over her shoulder, held captive by a pair of blue eyes.   
  
Sara watched him, her eyes so dark that he could barely see the green in the center of them. She dragged her eyes over his body, and there was no doubting how she felt. That look on her face was the exact opposite of what they’d agreed to. It was a look he hadn’t seen since the lift in Kadara Port, before they’d left for the casita in Varren’s Scalp. It was a look that was dangerous for the both of them.   
  
A wave of delicious heat rolled through him, warring with the cool buzz of adrenaline as it pulsed in his muscles. He held her gaze, and he was sure his own hunger was there for her to see. A moment later she remembered herself, and though her features cooled into indifference as she looked away, the damage was already done.  
  
As she turned away from him, Reyes glanced around the hold. Gil was settling the bets with what seemed to be a very disgruntled crew. He smirked; apparently no one but Sara had bet on him. And so no one had witnessed their wordless exchange.  
  
He hissed as the doctor dabbed at his lip.  
  
“Oh, hush,” she said. Lexi spread a small dollop of medigel onto the cut, and instantly the pain in his lip melted away, replaced with the tingling coolness of the numbing agent in the gel. “There,” she said. “That’ll be closed up by morning.” She handed him his shirt and shooed him away. “Now go shower,” she commanded. “You’re a mess!”  
  
He saluted her as she moved on to check on Scott, and Reyes waved goodbye to the twin. But his friend’s blue eyes were worried under his furrowed brow. Scott glanced at his sister and then back at Reyes, who froze on the spot.  
  
Maybe not everyone had been as distracted as he thought.  
  
Reyes straightened his back, his muscles already protesting. “Later,” he promised Scott from behind Lexi.  
  
“Yeah,” Scott said after a moment. “Later.”  
  
Reyes walked away toward the showers, laughing as crewmates congratulated him and complained about losing in turns, all the while trying not to feel the weight of Scott’s gaze on his back.  
  
  
  


The Tempest dropped out of FTL in the middle of the night cycle. Reyes jerked awake at the shift in the thrum of the engines. They shouldn’t be to the star system yet, they weren’t slated for arrival until 10AM Nexus Standard Time the next morning. He threw the sheets off of him, and stepped out into the dark hall in just his lounge pants.   
  
Sara appeared from her quarters a moment later, her sandy brown hair in wild waves, wearing her customary Blasto tank and leggings.  
  
“What’s going on?” He asked.  
  
“I don’t know,” she said. She didn’t wait for him before climbing the ladder up to the bridge. Reyes hurried after her, and as he reached the top he heard bare feet rushing to join them from further back in the ship.  
  
“Why’d we drop from FTL?” Scott asked. He had on a tank top and lounge pants, and his dark hair stood out at all angles. The dark purple bruise on his eyebrow and temple did little to help his look.  
  
“I know as much as you do,” she growled as the door opened onto the bridge. The three of them stormed onto the bridge, and Reyes was surprised to see Kallo already in his pilot’s chair. It seemed the salarian had sept there.  
  
“Talk to me Kallo,” Sara said as she moved up to the galaxy map to peer out of the view port glass.   
  
“It’s SAM,” the pilot said, his eyes blinking rapidly in his distress. “He pulled us from FTL, and we’re lucky he did.”  
  
“Why?” Scott asked, his voice hard.   
  
But Reyes could already see why. Beyond them, far out into the abyss of space, he could just make out the lattice-work of dark energy clouds that plagued Heleus. “The scourge,” he whispered.  
  
“Why is it here, too?” Sara asked, leaning forward, as if she would be able to see it better if she could just get closer. She looked back at Scott, and he nodded, his brow furrowed as his mind raced to keep up with her.  
  
“What does that mean?” Reyes asked. He hated it when they did the talking-without-words twin thing around him.  
  
She looked at him, and for just a moment there was victory in her eyes; she knew something the Charlatan didn’t. He would have rolled his eyes, but she didn’t give him the time. “The scourge is related to remnant technology,” she said.  
  
“And the remnant were created by the Jardaan,” Scott added.  
  
“The race that created the angara?” Reyes asked.  
  
They both nodded. Sara turned back to look out at space. “That means the Jardaan must have had a presence in Alcaeus as well.”  
  
“Or still do,” Scott said, his voice grim. He stepped forward, his bare feet silent on the cool metal of the bridge. “Sis,” he started. “We don’t know anything about these guys. For all we know, they could be the ones attacking the Keelah Si’yah.”  
  
She shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she said.  
  
“Why?”  
  
Reyes was surprised at the force behind Scott’s words, but one glance at the man explained it. His face was hard, his shoulders and back stiff, and his eyes were wide and cold with fear.  
  
“They’re builders, Scott.” She shrugged. “They created the angara, the remnant, they terraformed entire planets to sustain life they’d brought into being.” She finally turned back to look at him. “I can’t believe they’d be so quick to strike us all down.”  
  
He snorted. “Yeah, well, be careful that optimism doesn’t get us all killed.” He crossed his arms, unsatisfied with his sister’s explanation.  
  
“Pathfinder,” SAM interrupted.   
  
“Yeah, SAM?”  
  
“I am currently attempting to acquire a route to the Keelah Si’yah through the scourge.”  
  
“Good work,” she said.  
  
“However,” the AI said. “I have been unable to find any routes that would be able to accommodate the ark.”  
  
“Okay,” she said, thinking over the information. “So, we’ll have to find another way back to Heleus.” She sighed. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”  
  
Reyes frowned, his own mind finally catching up to the conversation. “If there are no routes the ark can travel through,” he said. “How’d it get here?”  
  
Sara and Scott turned to look at him, but before they could start theorizing, Kallo spoke up.  
  
“We’ve got a lock, Pathfinder,” he said.  
  
“Take us in,” Sara commanded. Her wonder at the intricacies of the scourge and the Jardaan had washed away in the face of the danger they were about to travel through. Scott and Reyes moved forward to join Sara at the galaxy map, to watch their progress through hell.  
  
The bridge was silent as Kallo and SAM worked in tandem to guide the Tempest through a maze of angry, writhing dark energy. Reyes forced himself to breathe deep, calming breaths and to ignore the sweat that beaded on his brow. It felt like they flew for hours, the twisting and furling tendrils of the scourge surrounding them on all sides, but it was probably only fifteen minutes before Kallo spoke again.  
  
“According to our data, we’re here.” He blinked out at the star system before them.  
  
“Fucking shit,” Reyes breathed.  
  
The entire system was swathed in ugly black and yellow coils of violent dark energy.  
  
Scott leaned forward to peer out the view port, just like his sister. “No wonder the signal was so hard to track.”  
  
“Where is it?” Sara murmured, her eyes searching the space that spread out before them. “SAM?”  
  
“Scanning, Pathfinder.” A few seconds ticked by, punctuated by heartbeats thudding in every chest. “The Keelah Si’yah is .3 astronomical units to port.”  
  
Sara looked at Kallo, who nodded. “Got it,” he said.  
  
“Careful,” the Pathfinder said, though Reyes figured that went without saying. Another handful of minutes turned into ages as they waited for the Quarian ark to come into view.  
  
“Holy shit,” Sara gasped, and Scott and Reyes struggled to see around her. They both went sill as they finally set their eyes on the ark.  
  
It was completely enveloped in the scourge, like a whale tangled in a fisher’s net. She hung in the dark tangles of dark energy, vulnerable and broken. There were gaps and fissures in her hull, and they could see where some escape pods had been deployed. To what end in a system like this, they could only guess.  
  
“SAM,” Sara shouted. “I need everything you can tell me about that ark. Now!” She turned away from the galaxy map, ready to storm off and prepare for whatever awaited them out there. But before she did that, she turned to her pilot, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Great work, Kallo. We couldn’t have done it without you.”  
  
He swallowed, clearly moved by the scene before them, and her praise. “Just, bring her home, Ryder.”  
  
Sara nodded and turned back to her brother. “Go wake the troops,” she said. “We have an ark to save.”   
  
Scott nodded, and hurried down to get the teams up and ready. Reyes watched as she turned back to look at the Quarian ark, and for a flickering moment he saw the fear in her eyes, in the quivering corners of her mouth. And then she shut it down. She was no longer Sara, no longer the woman he traded inappropriate stolen glances with, that laughed at her brother’s antics.   
  
Now she was the woman from that catwalk in Ditaeon, hard and cold, and ready for whatever fresh hell awaited them.  
  
“Come on,” she said, leading the way from the bridge.   
  
As he walked after her, Reyes realized for the first time that even this version of her, the one he associated with his worst heartbreak, inspired him to greater things. He knew now that he would follow her wherever she would lead him.  
  
Even if she led him into a scourge infested ark in the middle of uncharted space.


	12. Breach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: As always, thank you everyone who commented and/or left kudos! I hope you're ready for plot!!! Welcome to the Keelah Si'yah!

Sara stood in the armory, fighting to corral her racing thoughts. She took deep, purposeful breaths as she stepped into her armor, her hands moving automatically to fasten the deep purple N7 gear into place. Liam stood behind her, helping to clasp any portions she couldn’t reach. He was already geared up in his typical blue and white Initiative armor.  
  
Beside her, Scott slung his Isharay onto his back, the gunmetal gray Scavenger armor giving him an intimidating bulk. Sara sincerely hoped that they wouldn’t put their armor to use, that this mission would go smoothly. She wanted to add this ark to the list of those she’d saved, but she couldn’t dispel the cold weight of dread that settled in her stomach.  
  
Another clasp clicked into place, and her mind flooded with memories of all the times Reyes had unfastened them. She didn’t have time for those kinds of distractions, and yet she couldn’t stop her eyes from wandering over to him.   
  
He was suited up in his usual armored flight suit. She watched as he bent to sheathe a knife in his right boot and then holstered his Carnifex at his hip. Finally, he secured his assault rifle to his back and turned to face her.  
  
He nodded that he was ready, and she returned the gesture as Liam backed away, patting her sides.  
  
“You’re set,” he told her.  
  
“Thanks, Liam” she said. She took another deep breath, focusing on the people there with her, on her family. She looked around the room, waiting for Peebee and Jaal to finish their preparations. She smiled as their hands lingered just a little too long when Jaal handed the asari her Sidewinder.  
  
Sara wondered how long it would take the anagara to recognize Peebee’s affections, or how long it would take Peebee to admit them. Once the two turned to nod at the Pathfinder she cleared her throat to get the rest of her team’s attention.  
  
“Kallo’s working on getting us a relatively scourge-free landing zone,” she said. She holstered her Equalizer, taking comfort in its subtle weight at her hip. “Once we’re inside Scott’s team will head to the cryobay.” She looked at her brother. “We need eyes on those colonists,” she said.  
  
Scott nodded. He was tense, his mouth a hard line that complemented the steel that lurked behind his blue eyes.   
  
“My team will head straight for the bridge and try to assess the damage.” She glanced around the room, her voice serious. “Comms are on at all times, but keep chatter to a minimum.” They all nodded their agreement.   
  
“Pathfinder,” Kallo’s voice filtered into the room. “LZ is a go.”  
  
“Good work, Kallo,” Sara said, pride a warm blossom in the gripping chill of her chest. She glanced over at Reyes and found his golden eyes on hers. He didn’t even try and hide his concern, his brows pulled low and his lips pursed. She shot him a weak smile and he smirked, shaking his head.  
  
Beside her, Liam started his pre-mission routine. He paced a small circle, shaking out his arms and jogging in place in turns. He rolled his neck and shoulders, murmuring to himself, his eyes closed as he brought his mind into focus. This was normal Kosta behavior, a vestige from his HUS-T1 days that grounded him. Normally Sara found it endearing, but her nerves were frayed enough without his excited energy mingling with her own.   
  
Scott rolled his eyes at Liam’s antics, and Sara couldn’t help but chuckle. He smiled at her, but it didn’t quite banish the worry from his eyes. Even Jaal was more intense than usual, brooding and silent as he loomed behind Peebee, no doubt worried enough for the both of them. The asari sat on the bench beside their lockers, her body loose and unconcerned as she poured over some report on her omnitool.  
  
“SAM,” Sara said, drawing the attention of the room. “Talk to us about the Keelah Si’yah.”  
  
“Initial scans are ominous, Pathfinder,” the AI said. “Main power is offline. Auxiliary power is functioning, but only in select portions of the ark.”  
  
“What portions?”  
  
“Cryostasis and SAM node.”  
  
“Sounds promising to me,” Scott said.   
  
Sara nodded. “That means the colonists are most likely alive.”  
  
“And that their Pathfinder is too,” Liam added.  
  
Sara smiled, unable to contain her relief. Those were two major questions with potentially easy answers.   
  
“Ryder,” SAM continued. “Life support is operational in undamaged areas of the ark. However,” the AI said. “Artificial gravity is offline. I suggest restoring it to simplify your movement through the ark.”  
  
Sara and Scott both groaned as Peebee laughed.  
  
“This is going to be fun!” The asari proclaimed with a bright smile.  
  
“There are also several hull breaches,” SAM added.  
  
“It just gets better and better,” he brother mumbled.  
  
“All right,” Sara said. “New plan. Scott and co., to cryo, we’ll try and restore gravity and then head to the bridge.” She looked around the room, noting the grim expressions on every face but the asari’s. “Got it?”  
  
“Got it,” the room echoed in confirmation.  
  
“Approaching the LZ,” Kallo said over the intercom. They all stood, making last minute checks and adjustments, trying to quell the pre-mission jitters.  
  
“Helmets on people,” Sara reminded them before she slipped into the repaired helmet that had saved her life on Ryder-1. “Life support’s functioning for now. I want us prepared for when it isn’t.”  
  
She listened to the pneumatic hiss as three helmets and two respirators began pumping oxygen to her squad. They stood in tense silence as the ship touched down and connected with one of the Keelah Si’yah’s airlocks.   
  
Sara nodded to her team and keyed in the command to open the airlock door. With her weapon drawn, Sara scanned the docking bay gate for hostiles. All she found were crates floating in an otherwise empty hallway.  
  
Definitely zero g.  
  
“All clear,” she said, turning back to the gathered crew. “Scott,” she said, nodding at her brother.  
  
He pulled his sidearm into one hand and tilted his head toward the door. “Let’s go, Team Two.” And then he barreled out into the hallway. He let out a surprised chuckle as the lack of gravity sent him hurtling down the hall.  
  
Peebee followed after him, a huge grin on her face, and she whooped once as she rebounded off one wall, bouncing her way down the hallway after Scott.  
  
Jaal made an unimpressed sound as he moved to stand beside Sara. He brought the back of his right hand to press against hers. “Stay strong,” he said.  
  
“And clear,” she finished. And then the angara hurried after his squad.   
  
Sara followed their progress down the hall until they disappeared around a corner, and then she looked back at her own squad. “Ready, boys?”  
  
“Ready,” they both answered.   
  
“SAM,” she said. “Get me a path to engineering. I want gravity back ASAP.”  
  
“Calculating route, Pathfinder.” A moment passed, and the the AI added, “Navpoint acquired.”  
  
Liam grinned at Sara as he backed toward the airlock. “Last one there cooks dinner for a week,” he shouted, and then shoved off into the hall.  
  
She grinned at his ridiculous antics despite herself. She looked to Reyes and lifted a sandy brow. “Do us all a favor? Lose, okay?”  
  
He laughed, an honest, full sound, and it echoed through her body like ripples in a pond. She smiled at him, and then he jogged past her and leapt into the hall. “No promises, Ryder,” he called, and she could practically hear the wink in his voice.  
  
She laughed then, and jumped after him. Sara aimed for the wall, curling in on herself to bring her feet down to shove off at a forward angle. The momentum shot her past Reyes. She shouted triumphantly as she left him behind, and his low chuckle in her comm melted away any lingering fear she had about the mission.  
  
She turned the corner, her hands on the wall to guide her through the hall, and saw Liam up ahead. She used her hands to drag herself forward, angling toward the opposite wall. This time, when her feet found the metal, she added a fierce biotic push to her kick, multiplying her velocity considerably.  
  
She flew past Liam, who pretended to swim through the hall. “Later, Kosta!” She shouted as she flew past, the rippling blue energy trailing after her.  
  
“That’s cheating,” he said with a laugh.  
  
She didn’t respond as she reached the door at the end of the hall, her arms outstretched to catch herself against the wall.   
  
“Team two,” she said. “Progress?”  
  
“Slow,” Scott’s voice filtered through her comm. “Had to take the long way thanks to a pretty bad hull breach.”  
  
“Okay,” she said. “Let me know when you get to cryo.”  
  
“You got it.”  
  
Sara opened the door and the destruction before them killed any good mood her flight through the hall had brought her. The lights flickered, even the emergency lights that should have remained steady thanks to the auxiliary power. Scorch marks freckled the walls and ceiling where electronics had overloaded and short-circuited upon contact with the scourge. The hall looked like something out of a horror vid.  
  
But, there were no signs of a fight, no bodies littering the hallways.  
  
“What happened here?” Liam whispered.  
  
“The scourge,” Reyes said. His voice was dark, dangerous, and it sent a chill up Sara’s spine.  
  
“C’mon,” she said to them, and then hurried down the hall. Two more doors and they were in engineering, staring at the ODSY drive core, but Sara didn’t know the first thing about what made a ship function.  
  
“Uh,” she said, staring down at the console SAM’s navpoint had led her to.  
  
A dark chuckle breathed through her comm as Reyes brushed his shoulder against hers. “Move over, Pathfinder,” he smirked. “Let a professional handle this.”  
  
She scoffed, but made room for him at the console. “I think Gil would beg to differ.”  
  
Reyes laughed, his hands maneuvering over the buttons and switches with ease. “Gil always does,” he said. “That man would argue with a wooden person.”  
  
Scott’s laughter on the comm surprised them both. “Oh, I am using that one!”  
  
There was that sound again, that throaty chuckle that was so perfectly Reyes. Sara hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed it.  
  
“You’re going to want to hold on to something,” he said, and then keyed in a command into the console.  
  
The flickering lights blinked out, pitching the room into complete darkness as the gravity returned. The sensors on her armor reacted, the light on her chest-plate flicking on just as her feet found the floor. The full weight of her armor was suddenly suffocating, and her knees threatened to buckle.  
  
Reyes grabbed her arm, steadying her even as he leaned against the console to keep himself upright.  
  
“Uh,” Scott’s voice said in her ear. “What the hell just happened?”  
  
“Auxiliary power is failing,” SAM explained. “The Keelah Si’yah cannot power both artificial gravity and emergency lighting.”  
  
“You could have mentioned that before we flipped the switch,” Sara complained. She shrugged out of Reyes’ grip once she knew she wasn’t going to topple over. “Good work,” she said to him.  
  
He cleared his throat, pushing off the console to step away from her. “Any time,” he said.   
  
“Scott?”  
  
“Almost there,” he replied. “With gravity back, we’re making much better time.”  
  
“Good,” she said with a nod. She glanced at Reyes, then at Liam. He watched her, his brown eyes guarded. Sara repressed a sigh; she didn’t have time for his jealousy right then. “We’re heading to the bridge now.”  
  
“Roger that,” Scott said. “I’ll let you know as soon as we lay eyes on cryo.”  
  
They stepped back out into the hall, the crates that had been floating were now scattered in haphazard piles throughout. They’d make good cover if they were in a firefight, she thought, but mostly they were just in their way. Now that gravity was restored, moving through the silent ark was even more unnerving than before. The dark, penetrated only by the streams of their armor flashlights did little to soothe her.  
  
Sara pulled her Equalizer from its holster, and she heard Liam and Reyes draw their weapons as well. But, as they followed the navpoint up to the bridge, they encountered no signs of life. There were no sounds, no movement. Nothing.  
  
“It’s like the whole ark is dead,” Liam breathed.  
  
Sara shot an incredulous look at the man.  
  
“What?”  
“Not helping,” she growled.   
  
Liam grinned. “Don’t worry, Ryder,” he said. “I’ll protect you.”  
  
She rolled her eyes as she approached another door. Liam had forced her to watch more than her fair share of horror vids over the last few months. She hated them, and he knew it. She punched in a command to open the door, but it was locked. “SAM?”  
  
“The hall beyond this door has suffered a severe hull breach, Pathfinder.”  
  
She groaned. “Is there an alternate route we can take?”  
  
A quiet second passed as SAM calculated. “All other routes are similarly damaged.”  
  
She took a moment to decide their next course of action, staring at the door. Finally she sighed. “Override it.”  
  
“Yes, Pathfinder.” The door unlocked, and awaited her command to open.  
  
She raised an eyebrow as she looked back at Liam and Reyes. “Ready?”  
  
They nodded, their faces grim, and she keyed in the command.   
  
The pull of the vacuum of space was instantaneous as the door slid open. Against her will her body was pulled forward through the doorway, and from the grunt and hiss in her ears, her squad was right behind her. There was no sound to signal the door closing behind them, but as she spun in the air she saw that their exit was closed off. She spun back to look where they were headed.  
  
The hallway was mangled almost beyond recognition. It wasn’t completely ruined, and that was the only reason they didn’t vent directly out into space. Instead there were giant shreds in the wall to her right, as if some giant creature had tore into the ark with massive claws. The hall was depressurized, the gravity and atmosphere sacrificed to the scourge.   
  
Sara pushed herself toward the interior wall, the one with less noticeable damage, and stared at the wreckage before her. She could see the tendrils of the scourge through the rents in the hull, and she shivered in her armor, a cold sweat beading on her forehead.  
  
“This is bad, Sara,” Reyes murmured.   
  
She caught his eyes and saw the uncertainty in them.  
  
“I don’t know if we can bring her home,” he added with a shrug. “Not like this.”  
  
Liam rebounded off the right hand wall to glide to her. “For once I agree with Vidal.”  
  
She shook her head. “We don’t know enough yet,” she said. She knew she sounded stubborn, but she refused to give up on the Keelah Si’yah until she had all the facts. She scanned the room, cataloging the damage. “SAM,” she started. “How many hull breaches of this magnitude?”  
  
“Six, Pathfinder.”  
  
“Fuck,” Reyes whispered.   
  
“Extensive repairs would be required before FTL could be attempted,” the AI confirmed.   
  
Sara refused to meet her squadmates’ gazes. Things didn’t look good for the Quarian ark, she knew that. But, she was the human Pathfinder; solving impossible problems was her specialty.  
  
“Come on,” she said, pushing off to float further down what remained of the hall. She followed the curve of the hallway, but pulled up short when the rest of the room came into view. “Shit,” she cursed.  
  
Ahead of them, just before the door that would lead back to gravity and life support, the scourge had ripped though the hallway completely. The exterior wall was gone leaving just a jagged hole staring out into space. Below that, most of the floor had been gouged away, the dark well of scourge infested space lurking beneath it.  
  
“Sara.” Liam’s voice in her ear was pleading. “This is dangerous,” he said.  
  
“No, shit, Kosta.” She sighed. “But, we have to get to the bridge.” She looked back at them, determination bright in her eyes.  
  
Reyes nodded and pushed himself forward. “I’ll go first,” he said.   
  
Sara wanted to stop him, to demand that she go first; she was the Pathfinder, after all. But he was already ahead of her, angling his shove to send him over the gap. She held her breath as he soared over the black gap in the floor, her heart thudding painfully against her rib cage.   
  
He reached the door, and spun to face them. He ginned at her and gave them a thumbs up. “Piece of cake,” he said. “Just take it slow.”  
  
“Got it,” Liam said with a nod. And then he shoved away from her after Reyes.   
  
“Sara,” Scott’s voice called in her ear.  
  
“Go ahead,” she said, her eyes following Liam’s progress across the breach.  
  
“I’ve got eyes on stasis pods.”  
  
“And?”  
  
Liam coasted over to the door, Reyes grabbing his hand and pulling him to safety.  
  
“They’re online,” he said. The relief in her brother’s voice was palpable, and it soothed her pounding heart. “Every single one. It’s a fucking miracle.”  
  
“Holy shit,” Liam said, a laugh of disbelief bubbling in his throat.  
  
Sara beamed at him. “Good work Team Two,” she said. “Get as much info as you can and relay your findings to the Tempest.” She eyed the jagged gap in the wall and floor. “We’ve run into a bit of a roadblock on our way to the bridge, but we’re almost there.”  
  
“Got it,” Scott replied. “Be careful,” he added. Of course her twin would sense her discomfort from three decks away over a comm channel.  
  
“Always,” she said.   
  
And then she shoved off from the interior wall.   
  
Her right boot slipped against the cold metal of the wall beneath her feet. She felt it give way, tried desperately to kick back and redirect herself, but it was too late. In the zero gravity of the depressurized hallway, her trajectory was set.  
  
She was heading straight out into the void.


	13. Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you everyone for you lovely comments and kudos! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! Now, let's see how Sara gets out of this one...

Reyes’ heart dropped into his stomach. He watched Sara’s foot slip as she pushed off to join them at the door. It wasn’t much, but there was no room for error when there was no way to correct the mistake. The shift in her angle was enough to throw off her entire trajectory. As if in slow motion he watched her float toward the yawning dark of the sundered hull, and he was certain he was dying.  
  
He didn’t think. His body jumped into action long before his brain had time to catch up. Without consideration, without concern for his own well-being, he kicked off of the door and flew out to intercept the Pathfinder.  
  
“Sara!” Liam yelled from behind him.  
  
“Liam?” Scott shouted in Reyes’ ear. “What’s going on?”  
  
Sara spun, her arms and legs flailing in an effort to come into contact with anything that could change her course, but there was nothing. In his ear he heard her breathing hitch with fear, and the blood in his veins went cold.  
  
This was why he had come. This was why he’d insisted she bring him along. It wasn’t about the Collective, or the Keelah Si’yah, not really. Those were just convenient truths. No, he’d joined her team because the thought of her facing unknown dangers without him was simply unacceptable. The thought of her dying because he wasn’t there to help her was unbearable.  
  
Her eyes found his, and they were wide and bright with fear as her legs eked out past the jagged edge of the torn wall. She reached for him, her breaths turned to panting as her panic set in. He grabbed at her hand, his fingers clasping her wrist in a grip so tight that it would have hurt if not for her armor.  
  
“I’ve got you,” he said, the words pouring from him in a soothing mantra, like prayers on Sunday. He hauled her into a firm embrace, refusing to let her go. “I’ve got you, Sarita.” And while she clung to him, her shuddering breaths ragged in his comms, he comforted her with reassuring hands and words. But, Reyes knew they were far from safe. They still floated towards the tear in the hull. They were still falling out into scourge-tainted space.  
  
Until they jerked to a stop.  
  
Reyes looked back to see Liam’s hand clenched around his ankle. The man hung upside down, his knees hooked over a ventilation bulkhead that ran across the ceiling.  
  
“Liam?” Scott shouted again. “Reyes? Somebody tell me what the fuck’s going on!”  
  
“A little busy, mate,” Liam said from behind clenched teeth. He grunted as he pulled at Reyes’ ankle, slowly tugging them back toward the door.  
  
With their course changed back towards the bridge, Reyes took Liam’s hand as they floated past him. The man relaxed his legs, allowing his knees to unhook from the bulkhead, and the three of them coasted back to safety.  
  
Once at the door, Liam pounded the command into the console, and they pushed through to collapse into the safety of gravity once again. The door closed behind them, and Sara let out a strangled sound, something between a sob and a laugh.  
  
“Sara?” Scott yelled.  
  
“I’m here,” she responded. Her voice thick with relieved tears. “We’re all here.” She looked up at Reyes from where she lay, still in his arms, and she gave him a grateful, tear-stained smile. In that moment he was sure she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.  
  
“What happened?” Scott demanded.  
  
She groaned as she sat up. “I’ll tell you the details later,” she promised. She looked around the dark room and sighed with relief. “We made it to the Habitation Deck. Just one more door.”  
  
Liam sat up, his hands rushing to Sara’s helmet, dragging it to clank against his own. “You’re sure you’re okay?”  
  
She nodded. “I’m okay,” she breathed. “Thanks to you,” she said. “Thanks to both of you.”  
  
Liam grinned, but it lacked his usual brightness. It was the closest to fear Reyes had ever seen on the younger man’s face. “That’s what we’re here for.”  
  
Reyes stood, groaning, and dusted off his legs. “I suggest we don’t make a habit of free-falling into space, however.”  
  
Sara graced him with a feeble chuckle. “I think we can all agree on that.”  
  
He reached a hand down to each of them, hauling them both up. As Sara moved ahead, toward the bridge, Reyes clapped Liam on the shoulder. “Thank you,” he said.  
  
Liam looked back at him, his eyes hard beneath his furrowed brow. “Thank you,” he said. “If you hadn’t reacted so quickly, we wouldn’t have reached her in time.”  
  
Reyes shrugged, uncomfortable with Liam’s gratitude. “I just reacted,” he said. “You were the clever one. Hanging from an air duct?” He shook his head in awe. “Inspired.”  
  
Sara looked back at them, a wide grin on her face. “Admit it already,” she said, her hands on her hips. “You guys make a good team!”  
  
They looked at each other, and the shock on Liam’s face was just too good to pass up. So, Reyes winked at him, and then followed after the Pathfinder without another word. Liam chuckled behind him, but said nothing more.  
  
Sara opened the door and hurried onto the bridge.   
  
As expected it was dark and empty. He glanced at the consoles as he moved into the room, his uncertainty returning. Without additional power, he wasn’t sure what Sara hoped to gain from an arkful of dead terminals. But then again, he didn’t have a fancy AI.  
  
“SAM?” She said. “Run full diagnostics. We need to know everything we can about this ark.”  
  
“Understood, Pathfinder.”  
  
Reyes jumped back as a terminal near him flickered into life. The screen flitted through various windows, the data filtering by far too quickly for him to even try and decipher it. And then it went black just before another terminal lit up further away.  
  
“I don’t understand,” Sara said, staring out of the large sheet of glass that made up the view port. “There’s no sign of a firefight. No evidence of an attack of any kind.”  
  
“So where is everyone?” Liam asked.  
  
“Where is the Pathfinder?” Reyes added.  
  
“It doesn’t make sense,” she murmured. She scanned the room, as if she could puzzle out the riddle if she just looked hard enough. She was so stubborn.  
  
“Did you hear that?” Scott’s voice whispered over the comm.  
  
“Yes,” Jaal growled, the sound of his kett rifle releasing from its holster echoed over their comm channel.  
  
“Scott?” Sara asked. “What’s going on?”  
  
But before her brother could answer there was the distinct warping sound of biotics, followed by a surprised cry from her brother.  
  
“Scott?” Her hand was at her ear, willing her twin to answer her.  
  
“Pathfinder,” SAM said. “I am encountering resistance.”  
  
“What do you mean, ‘resistance’?” Her voice was hard, frustration and fear mingling in her words.  
  
“The Keelah Si’yah’s SAM node has activated,” SAM paused. “My Quarian counterpart is attempting to thwart my efforts to retrieve relevant data.”  
  
Sara said something to SAM but Reyes missed it. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a shadow shift in the dark behind Liam.  
  
“Get down,” he yelled, and pulled his pistol.  
  
Liam didn’t hesitate, dropping to roll away from where Reyes aimed. But whatever it was moved too quickly for him to track in the murky shadows of the bridge. He heard a sound to his right, a subtle creak of leather, and spun towards it. But before he could discharge his weapon a mottled red and brown hand snaked out and batted the pistol from his hand with a loud crack.   
  
_Were those scales?_ Reyes wondered briefly, before the pain of his broken right wrist registered in his brain. He cried out, the pain severe enough that he wasn’t even ashamed, but he didn’t let it distract him. The assailant came at him again, and Reyes led into them with his right shoulder, his wrist clutched to his chest.  
  
The attacker grunted, his voice gravelly and low, as the wind was knocked from him by the unexpected impact of Reyes’ shoulder square in the chest.   
  
And then Sara was there, her fiery biotics as disorienting as a flash-bang in the pitch black of the bridge. Just like in Ditaeon, the air warped around him, threatening to suffocate him in the rippling dark energy of her biotic charge. Reyes watched in slow motion as his attacker fell back, stunned by the force of her assault, but before he could stumble too far or try to correct himself, the bright corona of her power shifted.  
  
“Enough!” Sara screamed. She wielded the dark energy to pull the assailant back to her, dangling him in front of her. “We are not your enemy!”  
  
Reyes’ mind struggled through the fire that burned in his wrist. Over-sized black eyes, reptilian skin and sharp fringes edging the face and neck. A Drell. He was staring at a Drell.  
  
Liam was there suddenly, his weapon drawn and aimed at the would-be assassin.  
  
“I’m going to put you down,” Sara said. “And we’re going to talk.” She cast a glance at Reyes, and he saw the bright blue fury in her eyes, her biotics making them glow in the dark. “Don’t test my patience,” she growled at the Drell. “You’ve hurt someone I care about.”  
  
She released him, and he spluttered for a moment, gasping for breath. “You don’t know what you’ve done,” he wheezed.  
  
“Well,” she said, her anger still bristling in her voice. “Why don’t you tell me?”  
  
“Sis?” Scott called in their comms. He sounded exhausted, but whole. “You’re gonna want to get down here,” he said. “You won’t believe what we found.”   
  
Sara glared at the Drell before she answered her twin. “Oh, I think I will, but why don’t we compare notes?” She pulled her Equalizer from her hip and pointed it at the assassin. “Cryobay,” she barked. “Lead the way.”  
  
He glanced between the three of them, his breathing labored and painful sounding. With any luck Reyes had cracked a rib or something when he’d laid into him with his shoulder. It seemed fair enough to him as another sharp pain lanced through his wrist.   
  
Finally, after considering his options, the Drell stood upright. “As you wish,” he said, and then walked out of the room.  
  
  
  


Sara struggled to keep her mind on the Drell assassin that walked in front of her. He led them through another route to the cryobay, a much less treacherous one than the path they’d used to get to the bridge. She’d have to talk to SAM about that when all of this was figured out.   
  
But, what really distracted her was Reyes’ wrist. It was obviously broken, limp and cradled against his chest. She could hear his pained breaths in her comm as he walked behind her, and each tortured inhalation made her finger twitch on the trigger of her Equalizer.  
  
“Do you have a name, human?” The Drell asked.  
  
“Sara Ryder, Human Pathfinder,” she said.  
  
He glanced back at her, his reptilian face devoid of emotion. “Alec Ryder’s daughter?”  
  
“One and the same,” she said.   
  
“I am sorry for your loss,” he murmured, turning back to focus on their path through the ark.  
  
“Excuse me?”  
  
He shrugged. “If you are the Pathfinder, then one must assume something has befallen your father.” He paused. “He was a good man.”  
  
“You knew him?” She asked. She kept her eyes on the Drell, suspicious that the topic of conversation could be a distraction.  
  
He shook his head. “Not personally. Pathfinder Joh’Zolan speaks highly of him, however.”  
  
“Where is the Quarian Pathfinder?” Liam asked from over Reyes’ shoulder.  
  
Sara glared back at him, but the heat left her eyes when she saw how pale Reyes was under the natural bronze of his skin. She wanted to ask him how bad it was, she wanted to drop everything and try and ease his pain. But, he shook his head once, refusing her attentions to force her back to the task at hand.  
  
“He and the majority of his team left to protect the Keelah Si’yah,” the Drell answered.  
  
“The majority?” Sara echoed.  
  
The Drell smiled back at her, as if pleased with her questioning. “Myself and an acolyte remained behind to guard the colonists.”  
  
“I’m guessing that’s what my brother would like to show me,” she said.  
  
He nodded once. “It is likely,” he said. “Xanthe is young. Inexperienced. It is why I sent her away from you.”  
  
Her brow furrowed. “But you didn’t know who I was.”  
  
“True,” he said. “But you wear N7 armor.” He nodded his head again, an admission. “I realize now it is most likely your father’s, but if you had earned it?” He glanced at her. “I would not endanger Xanthe needlessly.”  
  
They reached the cryobay, and Sara was relieved to see Scott’s face as soon as the door opened. He had his Isharay aimed at the door, but lowered it as his sister entered his sights.  
  
“Huh,” he said. “Looks like you found a surprise of your own.”  
  
“I’d say he found us,” she said.  
  
“Sounds about right,” Peebee grumbled. She and Jaal stood on either side of another Drell, this one with mottled purple and gray skin. Jaal’s rifle was drawn and held at the ready across his torso. He frowned at the back of the Drell’s head. Peebee stood beside him, pressing gentle fingers to her temple where a deep purple bruise had started to form.  
  
“Xanthe, I presume?” Sara asked. Both Drell nodded.  
  
“Oh,” Scott said. “It gets better.”  
  
“Oh good,” she griped. “Because this day hasn’t been enough of a shit show already.”  
  
Her twin waved for her to follow him, and the Drell stiffened as they walked further into the cryobay. They approached what looked like a large tank. Sara could hear water bubbling from within and as she drew closer the Drell spun on her.  
  
“Do not harm her,” he begged.  
  
Liam raised his weapon. “Step back,” he threatened.  
  
Sara waved him down and turned to the Drell. “Harm who?” She asked.  
  
“The Most Illuminated Prime,” the Drell answered.  
  
Sara furrowed her brow, not sure what to make of the words. So she stepped closer to the tank and looked down to see the tender, amorphous, pink shape of a Hanar just beneath the bubbling surface.  
  
“She was chosen to lead the Heleus Cluster’s branch of the Illuminated Primacy,” the Drell explained.  
  
“So,” Liam started. “What? She’s like your Queen?”  
  
“She is an elected official,” the Drell said dismissively, his eyes squinting at Liam in irritation. He turned back to Sara. “But, a most beloved one. Both among the Hanar and the Drell.”  
  
Sara lifted her hands. “I’m not going to hurt her,” she said.  
  
“Why is she even out of cryo?” Scott asked.   
  
“Pathfinder Joh’Zolan required her guidance when the ark first encountered the reef.”  
  
“Reef?” Liam asked.  
  
“The scourge,” Sara, Scott, and Reyes answered in unison.  
  
“Oh.” He looked down at the floor, embarrassed.   
  
“We have it in the Heleus cluster as well,” Sara told the Drell.  
  
He shrugged. “After the Pathfinder left, it was decided that retiring to a tank would be safest for Her Primacy.”  
  
“Why did the Pathfinder leave?” Scott asked.   
  
The Drell glared at him. “Because the Keelah Si’yah is hiding,” he said. “Or, at least she was until you arrived.”  
  
Reyes groaned, and he sat on one of the nearby beds. “That’s why there were no routes through the scourge,” he panted. “You beached yourselves to hide your energy signatures.”  
  
The Drell blinked at him, impressed. “Exactly,”  
  
Sara went to him, her concern finally overcoming her need for answers. She sat beside him and reached for his arm.   
  
He tried to bat at her with his left hand, but he hissed as the movement jarred his wounded wrist.  
  
“Let me see it,” she admonished. She took his wrist in gentle fingers, and gasped as he removed his careful grip on the broken bone. “Shit, Reyes.”  
  
He grunted, but didn’t argue. It was a compound fracture, judging from the blood that had soaked through the sleeve of his flight suit. The only thing supporting it was the thick fabric of his armor and his grip as he’d kept it clutched at his chest.   
  
“I apologize,” the Drell said. “For a human in the dark, your aim was incredibly accurate.” He pursed his full lips. “If I hadn’t disarmed you, I would be dead.”  
  
“Or you could have just talked to us,” Scott growled.  
  
“We’ve been in a hostile cluster for the better part of the last year,” he replied. “You will forgive us our caution.”  
  
“I’m sorry,” Sara whispered to Reyes before she began prodding at the break.  
  
“Fuck.” He inhaled sharply, even more color draining from his face. He looked at the Drell. “What are you hiding from?” He asked, his voice low and strained.  
  
The Drell blinked at him, yet again surprised by Reyes’ attention to detail despite his injury. “A multitude of dangers,” he answered finally. “The foremost of which is a violent military force known as the Kett.”  
  
Sara and Scott groaned in unison.  
  
“We’ve heard of them,” Liam added. “Even defeated them back in Heleus.”  
  
The Drell looked to Sara. “Is this true?”  
  
“Yep,” she said, still assessing Reyes’ wrist. “I personally killed their Archon.” She replaced Reyes’ left hand on his wrist, and then pressed it to his chest. “Keep the pressure on,” she murmured. “We’ll get you to Lexi soon.”   
  
He nodded, and for a moment it seemed as if he was about to rest his forehead on her shoulder, the pain and exhaustion weighing on him. But, he thought better of it and instead shook his head to try to clear it. Sara frowned, upset that he’d been hurt, that he was still hurting and she was stuck here playing catch up with a mysterious Drell.  
  
She looked up to find contemplative black eyes considering her.  
  
“Perhaps you may be able to help us after all,” he murmured, almost to himself. He took a step toward her and bowed. “I am Zoldat Faros. Currently second in command to Pathfinder Joh’Zolan.” He glanced at the tank. “Formerly the most favored bodyguard and assassin of the Most Illuminated Prime.”


	14. Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello all you lovely people! Thank you so much for all your amazing comments and kudos. Confession time... ReyesVidalWeek knocked my writing schedule back a bit. I prefer to keep at least two chapters ahead of whatever's being posted, and sadly, today's chapter has hit that limit. I will do everything in my power to bust out two more chapters this week in order to maintain my posting schedule, but things might go a little more slowly from here.
> 
> I hope not, but it's a very likely scenario. Until then, enjoy this chapter!!!

Reyes sat on one of the beds in the Tempest’s medbay, trying to stay awake. He was so exhausted. The adrenaline spike from nearly losing Sara to space, then the Drell’s ambush in the dark hadn’t lasted long after he realized his wrist was well and truly broken. He’d seen the blood seeping into the fabric of his flight suit as they walked down to the cryobay, and had known that he would most likely need surgery.  
  
And so he sat in Lexi’s medbay, waiting for the doctor’s analysis of the scans she’d taken. He still wore his armor; Lexi didn’t want to remove it until they knew exactly what to expect underneath. But, she had braced his wrist and given him a mild pain reliever.  
  
He floated in and out of awareness, his mind wandering up to the vidcon, where Sara and Scott were meeting with Zoldat. Reyes had decided, rather quickly, that he did not like the Drell. Though, he wasn’t inclined to like anyone who had put him in this much pain within seconds of seeing him.  
  
He chuckled to himself.  
  
“Are you all right?” Dr. T’Perro’s soothing voice approached him.  
  
He cracked his eyes open. “I’ve been better,” he admitted. The pain relievers she’d given him had dulled the edge of the worst of the stabbing, fiery pain that throbbed in his joint, and the pressure of his suit helped stave off swelling, but it still hurt like hell.  
  
Lexi pursed her full, blue lips. “I’m afraid I don’t have good news.”  
  
“Hit me with it, Doc,” he said, closing his eyes.  
  
“The breaks are clean,” she started. “They’ll heal properly and quickly.”  
  
“But…”  
  
“But,” she said. “Surgery is required.”  
  
He nodded. “I thought so.”  
  
She winced. “And I have to cut off most of the sleeve of your flight suit.”  
  
“Now you’re just being ridiculous,” he said. His huff of laughter was forced, but he tried to smile through it.  
  
She smiled at him, appreciating his attempt at lightheartedness. “Lie down,” she commanded, and helped guide him back onto the bed. “Have you ever had surgery before?”  
He exhaled through his nose, willing the thumping heat in his wrist to fade. “When I was twelve,” he said. “Had my tonsils removed.”  
  
She nodded. “This won’t be quite as straightforward,” she admitted.  
  
He smirked up at her. “But they didn’t have a fancy AI to assist them.”  
  
She smiled again. “No, I’m sure they didn’t.”  
  
“I will assist Dr. T’Perro however I can, Mr. Vidal,” the AI added.  
  
“Thanks, SAM,” he grunted as Lexi set to work, carefully removing the temporary brace. Then she used sharp, surgical steel scissors to cut away the saturated fabric of his armor. He hissed as she pulled away the top layer, the blood soaked material clinging to his damaged skin.  
  
“Breathe,” she reminded him.  
  
He took a deep breath, in through his nose and out through his mouth.  
  
“Good,” she cooed. She cleared the fabric from his broken skin and dabbed gently at the angry, swollen flesh to clear the wound.  
  
Reyes focused on breathing, determined not to make a sound as the doctor tended to him. His mind wandered back up to the vidcon, to Sara. She and Scott would be talking with the Drell, outlining a plan to bring the Quarian ark home.  
  
He should be there, helping, and instead he was stuck in the medbay being slowly tortured by an asari.  
  
“You’ve hurt someone I care about.” Her words rang in his mind, angry and menacing. The whole way down to the cryobay she’d vibrated with poorly concealed rage, furious that Reyes had been hurt. And then her gentle hands, so careful as she investigated his ruined wrist, her voice low and cautious. He’d wanted so much to lean into her, to accept what little comfort she could offer.  
  
But even in all his agony he couldn’t bring himself to cross the line they’d drawn between themselves. At least, not with Liam in the same room.  
  
“You still with me?” Lexi asked.  
  
“Where else would I be?” he smirked, but the expression faltered as the stringent disinfectant seeped into the break in his skin with stinging efficiency.  
  
“Don’t you want to know your recovery time?” She asked.  
  
He was so distracted that he hadn’t even noticed that the doctor never mentioned it. But, he didn’t want to tell her that. “I figured you’d tell me eventually,” he said instead.  
  
“With a strict rehabilitation schedule, you should have full use in four weeks,” she said.  
  
“That fast?” He lifted his head to look at where her gloved fingers swabbed at his skin, and blanched.  
  
She smiled at him. “We have a fancy AI, remember?”  
  
He chuckled as she leaned to grab a syringe off the nearby surgical table.  
  
“Now just relax, and count back from one hundred,” she murmured as she pressed the needle into his arm.  
  
“One hundred, ninety-nine, ninety-eight, ninety-sev…” And then Reyes fell into the blissful black of unconsciousness.  
  
  


Sara fought the urge to run her hand through her hair again.  
  
“What do you mean you don’t know where he is?” Scott asked.  
  
Zoldat blinked, his black and rust colored lips pressed into a hard line. “The scourge interferes with communication. Surely you’ve encountered the phenomena in your own cluster?”  
  
Sara nodded that they had.  
  
“We decided to use this side effect to our advantage,” the drell continued. “Joh’Zolan and the rest of the Pathfinder team took a shuttle from the Keelah Si’yah, and once they were clear of the system, her Most Illuminated decided the ark should ‘beach itself’, as your companion stated.”  
  
“So you’re saying that the Quarian Pathfinder doesn’t know where his own ark is?” Scott asked, frustration hardening his voice.  
  
“Correct.”  
  
“And you don’t know where the Pathfinder is?” Sara clarified.  
  
“Also correct.”  
  
“What the hell kind of plan is that?” She snapped.  
  
Zoldat shrugged, his leather suit creaking softly. “The only one we had.” He stood upright, his hands clasped behind his back with the conference table between him and the twins. “The Pathfinder combats the Kett on the ground while the ark lies in hiding, waiting until she can be safely moved.”  
  
Sara rubbed her forehead in frustration. This wasn’t what she’d expected. She’d expected gunfights, most likely with the Kett, but an ark that didn’t want to be a saved and a Pathfinder that didn’t want to be found? What was she supposed to do with that?  
  
And all she really wanted to do was head down to the medbay and check on Reyes.  
  
“Mr. Vidal is currently undergoing surgery, Sara,” SAM said into their private channel. “Dr. T'Perro and I have determined that the procedure should be completed in approximately half an hour.”  
  
She sighed. “SAM?” She asked to the room.  
  
“Yes, Pathfinder?” The AI answered, as if it weren’t just speaking to her directly.  
  
“Touch base with the ark’s SAM node. Get as much information about this cluster from it as possible.”  
  
“To what end, Ryder?” The AI asked.  
  
“If we’re going to find the Pathfinder we need as much intel on Alcaeus as we can get.” She looked at her brother, and he nodded to her, his arms crossed over his chest. “And, before we leave try and get a message to the other Pathfinders back in Heleus,” she added. “We need to map the scourge here, the same way we did back home.”  
  
“Shall I forward our plans to Director Tann?” SAM asked.  
  
Sara shrugged. “Sure.” She didn’t really care one way or another what Tann thought, but she ought to at least do the bare minimum to keep their working relationship civil.  
  
“Understood, Pathfinder,” SAM said.  
  
“What _is_ your plan?” Zoldat asked.  
  
She glanced at him, trying very hard not to let her expression turn into a glare. “We can’t move the Keelah until we have a safe route through the scourge,” she answered. “So, while my colleagues try and find that route, I’m going to try and find your Pathfinder.”  
  
“And Xanthe and myself?” He asked. “What shall we do in the interim?”  
  
Sara wanted to tell him to go ask his beloved Hanar, but that wasn’t the right response for the Pathfinder. “I need you to make as many repairs as you can,” she said. “Your ark is a mess. It needs to be ready to fly once we find it a way back to Heleus.”  
  
The drell blinked at her. “My daughter and I are not mechanics,” he said.  
  
_Daughter?_ Sara thought. That explained a lot. She shrugged. “Then wake some up.” It was an ark full of Quarians, weren’t they supposed to be resourceful spacecraft geniuses? “If the rest of this cluster is as fucked as this system, you’ll have plenty of time to figure it out.” She turned away from Zoldat, an obvious dismissal.  
  
He stood there for a moment longer, looking between her and Scott, but finally bowed. “Very well then. I shall return to the Keelah Si’yah.”  
  
Sara and Scott nodded, but said nothing more to the drell as he walked away. As soon as he was gone Sara leaned her elbows on the conference table and scrubbed her hands over her face.  
  
“Talk to me,” Scott said after a moment. He had stepped closer to her, resting his hip against the table.  
  
She shook her head. “This whole cluster is a shit show,” she said after a moment.  
  
“Is that all?” He asked. “Because, you’d think after Heleus you’d be used to that.” When she didn’t reply he pressed further. “I think you’re worried about him.”  
  
“Who?” She asked carefully.  
  
Scott smirked. “You’re an idiot if you think I can’t see the looks between the two of you.”  
  
She glanced at her brother, and it was a mistake. Whatever he saw in her eyes passed as confirmation for him.  
  
“Ha! I knew it!”  
  
“Keep your voice down,” she said, shoving at his chest.  
  
Scott barely recoiled from her push. “What’s going on between you two?”  
  
“Nothing,” she said. “Will you please drop it?”  
  
“Not a chance in hell.”  
  
She groaned. “There’s nothing going on,” she said. “We agreed to keep things professional.”  
  
“Yeah,” Scott said with a laugh. “Because eye-fucking him after our boxing match is real professional.”  
  
She glared at her brother, which only made him laugh more.  
  
“Do you think Liam knows?” She asked, her voice hushed with concern.  
  
Scott’s good humor wilted away at the thought of Liam. He shrugged. “If he doesn’t at least have some suspicion he’s even dumber than I thought.”  
  
“Scott!” She shoved him again, harder this time.  
  
“What?”  
  
She ran a hand through her hair. “Please don’t say anything. Not even to Gil!”  
  
Scott snorted. “You think he hasn’t already noticed?”  
  
Her head fell back in frustration. “Let me deal with this, okay?”  
  
“So you’re actually going to do something about it?” Scott grinned at her. “That’s new.”  
  
“I hate you,” she said, turning away from him.  
  
“Love you too,” he called after her as she headed down to the medbay.  
  
The door hissed open and revealed Lexi sitting at her desk as Reyes slept on one of the medbay beds.  
  
Lexi turned to look at her. “Sara,” she greeted. The asari stood to meet her.  
  
“How is he?” Sara asked, glancing at Reyes.  
  
The doctor gestured for her to follow her to Reyes’ bedside. “With SAM’s help, the procedure was a great success.” Lexi smiled. “With any luck, we might even shave a week off his recovery time.”  
  
“Which is?” Sara whispered.  
  
“Three to four weeks.”  
  
The Pathfinder sighed. On a mission like this, that was a long time to be out of commission, and if she knew Reyes, he’d absolutely hate being off the roster for that long.  
  
“How’re you doing?” Lexi asked.  
  
“I’m managing,” Sara said.  
  
“Sara.” Lexi shot her an unconvinced look.  
  
“I don’t like people getting hurt on my watch,” she admitted.  
  
The doctor’s gray eyes softened. “From what I’ve heard, it sounds like you did everything you could.”  
  
Sara nodded. “I know.” She looked down at Reyes, his face calm but still pale.  
  
“I also heard that we almost lost you,” Lexi prodded.  
  
Sara shrugged. “My team worked together and did what they had to.”  
  
“You’re being very professional about it.”  
  
She nodded. “It’s easiest this way.” Because if she thought too much about Reyes’ arms around her, pulling her to safety, of his soothing voice as he called her ‘Sarita’ for the first time in over a year, she would cry. And crying right then, in front of Lexi just wasn’t an option. She was still in Pathfinder mode for now.  
  
Lexi watched her, analyzing her face, searching for the turmoil Sara had buried under her title. “You should sit with him for a while,” she said. “I’m sure he’d appreciate a friendly face when he wakes.”  
  
Sara looked at the doctor, about to turn down her offer when Reyes groaned. She immediately sat beside him, careful to keep clear of his bandaged and braced wrist. The door hissed as Lexi left the room, and Sara tried not to look too much into the doctor’s suggestion and convenient absence.  
  
His brow furrowed and his head fell to the side as he struggled through the fog of the anesthesia. Sara ran her hand over his forehead, soothing away the tension creased there.  
  
“You’re okay,” she murmured. “I’m here.” Her words so much like his own to her just hours before. She took his good hand in hers, and watched as his brow smoothed and his eyes cracked open.  
  
“Princesa?” He asked, his voice thick with his medicated sleep. He looked up at her, his amber eyes unfocused and confused.  
  
She smiled at him, his term of endearment stabbing at her. “I’m here,” she said again.  
  
He smiled back at her then, a goofy, lopsided grin courtesy of the drugs. “Good,” he whispered. He closed his eyes again, but the thumb of his good hand brushed against the back of hers for a moment before he fell back asleep.  
  
Sara stared at him, letting her eyes follow the contours of his face, remembering how she’d taken such a simple thing as looking at him for granted all those months ago. She’d never even considered that such behavior would be off limits or inappropriate, something she’d have to do in secret.  And yet, here she was, desperately soaking in his features while she was unsupervised.  
  
She jumped when the door opened behind her.  
  
“There you are,” Liam said from the doorway. He stopped in his tracks as he took in the scene before him. Sara sat beside Reyes, her torso leaned over him so her right hand could hold his left one. She twisted to her left awkwardly to look at Liam.  
  
“Liam, I-” she started, but she couldn’t bring her hand to let go of Reyes’.  
  
Liam shook his head. “It’s all right,” he said.  
  
Sara stared at him.  
  
He shrugged. “You care about him, and he got hurt on your watch.”  
  
He didn’t understand. He didn’t realize what he was looking at. To him, she was the Pathfinder watching over an injured squadmate. How could he not understand?  
  
Liam cleared his throat. “How’s he doing?”  
  
Sara stared at him for a moment longer, and then cleared her throat as well. “Well, considering. Lexi said he’ll be good as new in three to four weeks.”  
  
“That’s good, yeah?”  
  
She nodded. “Yeah.” She snorted. “Though I doubt he’ll be pleased at being left behind for that long.”  
  
Liam smiled. “Probably not.” He looked down at his feet, shuffling them awkwardly. “I… I’m sorry for giving you so much trouble about bringing him along,” he said.  
  
Sara blinked at him. She hadn’t expected that.  
  
“If he hadn’t been there…” He swallowed, unable to continue the thought.  
  
“Liam,” she said, her own voice suddenly thick.  
  
How was she supposed to do this? How could she hurt Liam after everything? And how could she stay with him when she knew every moment was even more excruciating to the man whose hand she held? But, really, when she dug down to it, she was mostly upset because she wasn’t more conflicted. The way her heart clenched when Reyes called her ‘Princesa’ or ‘Sarita’ really told her all she needed to know.  
  
Liam’s eyes finally locked on her hand where it intertwined with Reyes’. He looked back up at her, but she couldn’t bear to see the hurt in his brown eyes; she looked down at her lap in stead.  
  
“Ah,” he said.  
  
She swallowed past the thick lump in her throat. “Liam,” she started, her voice shaking.  
  
“No,” he snapped. “I, uh…” he paused, his voice softer, more subdued. “I’ve got some work to do.” He stood there for a moment, waiting for her to look at him, but she never lifted her eyes from her lap.  
  
She listened to his footfalls echo through the hall as he walked away, and only once the door whispered shut did she allow herself to cry. The tears were mostly silent, but hot and angry. She was angry at herself, for being so stubborn for so long. For thinking she could be on the same planet as Reyes and not be drawn to him, let alone share her tiny ship with him. For thinking she could ignore her feelings until they disappeared, simply because they were inconvenient.  
  
But, more than anything, she was angry because she had used Liam. He was her friend, the single person in Heleus she knew longer than anyone except Scott. He’d been there every time she’d nearly died. Liam had followed her into hell and back, always watching her six. And she had let her loneliness and frustration get the better of her, let it cloud her judgment for over six fucking months.  
  
And two weeks with Reyes on the Tempest had brought the charade tumbling down. Had thrown open the shades and shone the light on her own selfish cowardice, her own staunch refusal to share how she felt with anyone, even her brother.  
  
The tears were no longer silent, and she curled in on herself, dragging her legs up onto the bed and letting her head rest on Reyes’ chest. She hoped he wouldn’t wake, but she needed his warmth just then, even if she didn’t deserve it.  
  
She cried, though she didn’t know for how long, and was surprised when Reyes’ good hand trailed tired fingers through her hair, brushing it back from her face.  
“Shh,” he said, his eyes still closed. “It’s okay,” he promised, his voice so low she could barely hear him.  
  
She wasn’t sure if he was even awake. The way his hand lingered in her hair, heavy and unsteady, suggested that he was still asleep, but she didn’t want him to stop. So, she lay there, her head on his chest while he stroked her temple and gave her sleepy reassurances.  
  
Finally, his hand went still, nestled just behind her head, and she was certain he’d sank back into the deep, recuperative unconsciousness he needed to heal. But, as she untangled herself from his arm and sat up he moaned softly, his lips pulling down in a dissatisfied frown.  
  
“Te amo, Sarita,” he mumbled, his eyes never once opening.  
  
Sara stared at him for a moment, but when he said nothing more, when he didn’t open his eyes to look at her, she scurried out of the room. She wasn’t ready to face those feelings just yet.


	15. Done

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you so much for your comments and kudos! This story is still growing, apparently, so rest assured, we'll be seeing Santa Sarita for a while yet. I'm at least keeping pace right now, writing-wise, so here have a chapter!

A week after his surgery, Reyes finally felt up to leaving his bunk for more than fifteen minutes at a time. He did a lap around the ship, stretching aching legs and loosening tense muscles in his back and shoulders. When he arrived at the galley, he stepped in with the hopes of pouring a cup of coffee. It was still early enough that it might even be hot.  
  
When the door opened the room went silent. Liam, Scott, and Gil all looked up at him, and before Reyes could say a word, Liam nodded at him and then shoved off the counter and stalked out of the room. The door shut behind him and Scott sighed.  
  
“Yikes,” Gil added, and then sipped at his pale, creamy coffee.  
  
Reyes stepped over to the coffee pot, pouring a steaming mug for himself. Out of habit, he tried to use his right hand, still in its brace, and nearly dropped the pot. “Dammit,” he cursed and then switched hands. He looked back at the couple sharing the table. “Did I miss something?”  
  
Gil raised an eyebrow at him and then looked at Scott. “This one’s all you,” he said. “She’s your sister.”  
  
Scott pouted. “She’s your best friend.”  
  
“Second best friend,” he corrected, pointing a finger at Scott.  
  
The Ryder twin rolled his eyes. “You like Sara more than Jil,” he said, shaking his head. “You have for months now.”  
  
Gil gaped at him, for once speechless.  
  
Reyes glanced between them both, his agitation building. “Can we please focus?”  
  
“Oh,” Scott said, blushing. “Right.” He took a sip of his own black coffee and then cleared his throat. “Sara and Liam are…”  
  
“Having a bit of a fight,” Gil offered.  
  
Reyes took a drink of his own coffee, his brows pulled low over his eyes. “Why?”  
  
“Do you remember waking up from your surgery?”  
  
Reyes froze. There were a lot of gaps in his memory from the anesthesia. Had he said something he shouldn’t have? Done something he shouldn’t have? “I remember Lexi being there,” he said with a shrug. “She gave me water and talked to me about the operation.” That was his first clear memory, but he also remembered the warmth of Sara’s hand in his, and brief glimpses of her face above him. He’d written them off as hopeful dreams, the result of the anesthesia.  
  
“Leave the poor man alone,” Gil said. “He’s had a rough week.”  
  
“Fine,” Scott grumbled.  
  
“Wait.” Reyes stared at them. “You mean I didn’t do anything?”  
  
“I don’t know.” Scott shrugged. “Liam found her sitting with you, and they haven’t said a word to each other since. She wouldn’t tell me anything more than that.”  
  
Cool relief flooded through him. It wasn’t his fault, he hadn’t crossed their carefully constructed boundary. And then he bristled.  “How long were you going to let me think it was my fault?”  
  
Scott gave him a sheepish smile. “As long as it took for you to admit there’s something you could have done to come between them.”  
  
Reyes stared at the male Ryder, a person he considered his friend, in shocked disbelief.  
  
Scott squirmed under his gaze. “She cares about you, Reyes,” he said quietly. “I just want her to be happy.”  
  
Reyes pinched the bridge of his nose, his coffee forgotten on the counter. “It’s none of your business.”  
  
“That’s what I told him,” Gil interjected.  
  
Scott glared at both of them. “She’s my twin,” he snapped. “Her happiness is my business.”  
  
“She’s also a grown woman who has to make decisions for herself!”  
  
“Yeah,” Scott scoffed. “Tell me, how’s that working out for you?”  
  
“It’s not about me,” Reyes snapped. “She has to do whatever she thinks is best. If that’s being with Liam then…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.  
  
“You’re a fucking moron if you think she’s happier with him than she was with you.”  
  
“Scott,” Gil warned his boyfriend.  
  
Reyes gaped a the male Ryder. Fury pounded through him, his blood accelerating and bringing an ominous thumping sensation into his still healing wrist. But, he wasn’t mad at Scott, not really. He was mad at himself for hoping that it all might be true. That Sara might actually still want him, want to be with him. That she could still choose him, after everything. And he was angry because that meant he hoped whatever happiness she and Liam shared would crumble under the weight of her feelings for him.  
  
And that wasn’t fair.  
  
He turned and dumped his coffee into the sink; it’d gone cold anyway.  
  
“Reyes,” Scott called after him as he left the room without a word.  
  
“You handled that well,” Gil said, reading an HSN report on his omnitool.  
  
“Shut up.”  
  
“I’m sure he’s definitely going to sweep her off her feet now.”  
  
Scott sighed. “I kind of hate you right now.”  
  
Gil grinned up at him. “Now you sound just like your sister.”  
  
  


Sara sat in her room, watching _Fleet and Flotilla_ for the millionth time, avoiding everyone. Liam had refused to talk to her since he’d left her in the medbay. She’d avoided Reyes too, besides the professional check-in to see how was feeling when he first woke from surgery. Really woke, not his mumbling admissions and gentle hands from before. She’d been relieved when he hadn’t mentioned her crying all over him and, if she was lucky, he didn’t even remember it.  
  
Her brother wouldn’t leave her alone, begging to know what had happened, and he kept threatening to get Lexi to come and talk to her. So, she locked herself away in her quarters hoping that they’d find Joh’Zolan before she had to talk to anyone again. But the Quarian Pathfinder had hid himself well.  
  
They’d narrowed the search to three systems, but with the scourge strangling the cluster traveling between them was treacherous.  
  
On the screen, Bellicus and Shalei stood on the balcony and Sara smiled. This was her favorite part.  
  
“But, Shalei,” Bellicus said. “We can never be together. I have my duty, and you have your people.”  
  
“Not tonight,” Sara said along with Shalei. “Tonight, I’m as free as the dust in the solar wind.” The music swelled, and she sighed. She was such a sucker for this movie.  
  
Her omnitool beeped, and she looked down at the message, her brow furrowing.  
  


 

> _To: Sara Ryder_  
>  _From: Liam Kosta_  
>    
> 
> 
> _Meet me in my room… Please?_  
>    
> 

Sara stared at the message. She couldn’t ignore it, couldn’t refuse the invitation. She had to go and talk to him, no matter how badly she wanted to hide away forever. She sighed, and ran her hand through her hair. She was a mess, in nothing but her Blasto tank and an old pair of Scott’s gym shorts. She couldn’t see him like this.  
  
So, she stood and changed into her Initiative civvies. She caught her reflection and groaned; her hair was out of control. She stood there, combing through it with her fingers, and then started braiding it.  
  
“I believe Mr. Kosta is awaiting your reply, Sara,” SAM said to the room.  
  
Even her AI knew she was stalling. “I know, SAM.” She continued working on her hair until it fell in a loose coil down the front of her shoulder. It wasn’t as tidy as she usually liked it, but it was better.  
  
“Shall I inform him that you are en route?”  
  
She sighed. “Sure.” She took one more look at her reflection, shook her head, and then left the room.  
  
Luckily, the hallway was empty, but she had no such luck in the cargo bay. A string of angry, Spanish curses greeted her as she walked towards Liam’s room, and she saw Reyes leaning under the hood of the Nomad.  
  
His right wrist was still braced and bandaged, and he rested the majority of his weight on his right elbow, while his left hand struggled with some mechanism in the engine compartment. She wanted to stop and help him, to see how he was handling his temporary disability, but that would be a mistake.  
  
She needed to focus on Liam. Music, hard and fast, pounded from the open door to Liam’s room and she suppressed a groan. He was probably working out, which meant he’d be shirtless. How were they supposed to have this conversation if he wouldn’t put on a damn shirt?  
  
As she passed the Nomad, Reyes stepped away from the vehicle and caught her eyes. She saw the frustration and worry in them, so she shot him a small smile and kept walking.  
  
She poked her head into the room, and sure enough Liam was down on the ground doing a set of crunches. She didn’t even want to know what number he was on.  
He looked up and saw her, and then typed a command into his omnitool. The music stopped, plunging them into an awkward silence.  
  
“Sara,” he said. He stood and hurried to put on a tank top of his own.  
  
She nearly crossed her arms, and then thought better of it. “You wanted to see me?” She asked. The dread in her voice made it flat and resigned.  
  
He glanced at her, and the weight in his brown eyes was inescapable. “Can we talk?”  
  
She took a deep breath, and slipped on her Pathfinder mask. “Of course.” She stepped into the room, and the door closed behind her. She let out the breath she held. “Liam I-”  
  
“Sara,” he said, his voice firm and loud.  
  
She blinked at him.  
  
“Just, let me talk, yeah?” He looked away from her and tugged at his hair for a moment, nervous. “I’ve been thinking about what to say for days and I just want to say it.”  
  
“Okay,” she whispered.  
  
He paced around the room, working himself up to what he needed to say. He stopped and looked at her. “I’m an idiot,” he said finally.  
  
She shook her head. “No, Liam, I-”  
  
“I’m not done,” he snapped. “I never should have kissed you that night. I never should have let it go farther than that.” He shook his head, a scowl clouding his face. “But, when we watched vids and had beers, when we were alone, you were more like yourself.” He shrugged. “I thought that, maybe, if we spent enough time together, it would help.” He met her eyes, and though his words were angry, she couldn’t hide from the sadness that looked back at her.  
  
“I just wanted to help,” he said, suddenly helpless. “It’s what I do best.” Disgust curled his lip and he looked away again. “I know that you probably thought about him those first few times.”  
  
“Liam,” she tried again.  
  
“I was there, Sara,” he barked. “I saw how happy you were with him, and I saw the aftermath when you ended things. You _loved_ him,” he said.  
  
The words rang in her ears like the accusation they were.  
  
“That’s why I’m an idiot,” he continued. “For thinking that any amount of time with me could ever compete with how you feel about him.”  
  
She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. She did not want to cry, but she couldn’t fight the hot sting at the back of her eyes when she looked at him again. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I never meant for any of this to happen.” She swallowed. “I meant to keep things casual between us.”  
  
He glared at her. “I don’t think you do casual, Sara.” He pressed his lips into a hard line. “You either commit, or you use people. Look at Kandros.”  
  
Fuck, she was never going to live down sleeping with the APEX leader. But, as angry as the words made her, she couldn’t argue with them.  
  
Liam shrugged. “This time, I think you got confused. It started out as convenient, I scratched an itch,” he said, his voice thick with disappointment. “And then it kept happening, and you didn’t know what to do, so you committed.”  
  
She stared at him, unused to such insights from Liam. It hurt.  
  
He cleared his throat. “I’ve been talking to Lexi about it,” he admitted.  
  
Sara’s face crumpled under the weight of her pain. “She said that about me?”  
  
Liam shook his head quickly. “No! She just, I don’t know, helped me get the bigger picture.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “To see beyond just you and me, so I could understand.”  
  
“And do you?” Her voice was so small. Where had her Pathfinder mask gone? Where was her strength and poise?  
  
“I’m close,” he said. “But I have to ask you something.” He stared at her, and though she wanted to look away his eyes held hers there. “If we weren’t together, would you be with him right now?”  
  
Her heart screamed from inside her chest. Of course her answer was ‘yes’, but that assumed Reyes would have her. That assumed that they could look beyond that night in Ditaeon and the realities of his role as the Charlatan. It seemed that her heart assumed a lot of things.  
  
“I don’t know,” she said, because that was the more realistic answer.  
  
He frowned at her. “You’re lying.”  
  
She shook her head. “No, I’m not.” She sighed and looked down at her shoes. “I’m not sure if we’d be together. There are still a lot of reasons why it might not work.” She swallowed and brought her eyes back up to his. “But, I know I would want to try.”  
  
He nodded and looked away. He sniffed and blinked a few times before he said, “Yeah.”  
  
She took a step toward him, but the look he gave her made her stop.  
  
He opened his mouth, closed it, then tried again. “We’re done,” he said. His voice was rough, angry and so sad all at once. “I’m done,” he continued. “I’ll see this mission through, but once we’re back in Heleus I’m going to the Nexus to start up HUS-T1.”  
  
“Okay,” she said. What else was there to say?  
  
“That’s it?” He asked, furious. “Just, ‘okay’?”  
  
“What do you want me to say, Liam?” She wrapped her arms around herself. She felt so isolated, so vulnerable and alone. And she felt broken, like she would shatter if she didn’t try to hold all the pieces together herself.  
  
“I want you to fight for me,” he yelled. “To at least _act_ like you give a shit!”  
  
“I do!” She shouted back at him.  
  
“I’ve been with you from day one,” he said. “I watched you die, twice!”  
  
“I know that,” she snapped. “I was there!”  
  
“But you don’t care if I leave?” He pulled on his hair and spun away from her in frustration.  
  
“Of course I do! But it’s what you always wanted,” she said. “It’s what you came to Heleus to do.” She watched him, and waited for his eyes to find hers. “I want you to do it. I want you to keep your promise.”  
  
He watched her for a moment, his eyes scanning her face. “You really mean that, don’t you?”  
  
“Yes!” She sighed. “I don’t want you to leave, you’re my…” She realized she didn’t know what he was to her anymore. At one time he was one of her best friends, the member of her team she counted on most before Scott joined the Tempest. And then he was her boyfriend. And now… Now he was her ex.  
  
He chuckled, and the sound brought a tentative smile to her lips. “What are we now?” He asked. “Exes?”  
  
“Technically,” she said with a shrug.  
  
His nose wrinkled. “Gross.”  
  
She laughed. “Right?”  
  
He stepped toward her and enveloped her in a brittle hug, and though they could never really go back, would never be able to forget all of what they’d shared, Sara knew they would be all right, eventually.  
  
She sniffled, losing a battle with her guilty tears. “I’m so sorry, Liam. I was so wrong about everything.”  
  
“Hey,” he said, holding her at arm’s length to look her in the eye. “You were in distress,” he said. He smiled softly and shrugged. “I just did what I do best.”  
  
She smiled, but cried more. How did he manage to make her feel better and worse at the same time? She sighed, willing her tears to stop. They didn’t, but she was no longer sobbing. “I’m going to go watch _Fleet and Flotilla_ on repeat until I pass out,” she told him.  
  
He smirked. “That’s probably for the best,” he said. “You’re a mess, Ryder.”  
  
She tried to smile at him, but his return to using her last name stung. She nodded and left the room, and the tears came back in force as she walked out into the cargo bay.  
  
“Hey,” Reyes said as he approached her.  
  
She wiped at her face and blushed. This was the last thing she needed. “I’m okay,” she told him, hoping to walk right past him, but he stood in her path. She looked up, but refused to meet his eyes.  
  
“Then why are you crying?” He asked.  
  
She shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand.”  
  
He reached out to her with his left hand, the movement so hesitant and unsure, but he rubbed her upper arm comfortingly. Even that small touch lit something inside her, a warmth that offered to melt away all her guilt and self-loathing.  
  
“I can’t if you don’t tell me,” he murmured.  
  
She shook her head again, strands of her sandy brown hair falling from her braid. Tears welled in her eyes, and she was really sick of crying. “He broke up with me,” she whispered.  
  
“What?” Reyes blinked at her. His amber eyes were wide and his dark eyebrows lifted. “Why?”  
  
She gave him a pointed look, and he gaped at her for a moment. If she weren’t so emotional at the moment, she would have thought he looked cute.  
  
He shook his head. “We barely even talk!”  
  
She shrugged. “He knows that.” She glanced back at Liam’s room, the door closed, and then looked back at Reyes. She took a step back, and he let his hand fall from her arm and back to his side. “But,” she said as she walked past him. “He’s not wrong.”  
  
And then she walked away, refusing to look back at him, to see the shocked and maybe even hopeful expression on his face. Sara hurried back toward her quarters, wondering how many beers she could steal from the galley before anyone noticed.


	16. Wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you everyone for your patience and encouraging words. I'm working extra hours this week and the next so, that's not helping me catch up, but I'm still hoping to post at least a chapter a week. Hopefully two until I get back into a solid rhythm again! I hope you guys like this one!

His wrist thumped angrily in its brace, reminding him that it’d been more than six hours since his last pain pill. Between accidentally trying to grab things and his attempts to work on the Nomad, Reyes had overdone it for the day, and his injured wrist had no qualms in letting him know he was a moron. He glanced at his terminal again, but there was nothing new there. The Collective was a well-oiled machine at this point, and as long as the Charlatan kept up on his routine maintenance, he didn’t have much to worry about.  
  
If only that had been the case a year ago.  
  
He groaned and rubbed at his eyes with his left hand. It was getting late, and though he’d spent the better part of the week in bed, he was exhausted. He needed to take a pain reliever, take a shower, and get some rest. He set his terminals to sleep mode and turned off the lights, the biolab illuminated only by the dim glow of the two terminals on the left-hand wall and the heat lamps in the terrariums. It was kind of nice, he thought as he opened the door.  
  
He pulled up short as he nearly collided with Sara. She stood just on the other side of the door, as if she’d been contemplating coming in. She looked up at him, and her pupils were wide as her lips parted. He tried to step back, to reestablish a safe distance between them, but her hands caught his t-shirt, and she dragged herself with him into the room.  
  
“Wha-?”  
  
But her mouth was on his, killing the question and any of his resolve along with it. Her lips scorched against his own, needy and demanding in her pace. She consumed him, his every sense, as he let himself drown in her. The mint fragrance in her long hair, which was down for once, begged him to touch. He coiled his good hand through the soft tresses and used the grip to pull her head back so he could kiss her neck.  
  
She gasped at the pressure, and Reyes couldn’t deny the rush of heat low in his belly. God, he had missed this. He had missed _her_. She shoved him against the wall, and though it sent a jolt of dull pain into his wrist, he moaned in pleasure against her collarbone.  
  
“Reyes,” she panted beside his ear. His name on her lips was a beacon, calling him back to her mouth. There was no patience between them, no tender longing or gentle remembrances. When his mouth met hers again his tongue dove between her lips, demanding entrance, seeking the velvety, sweet taste of her.  
  
Instead, as his tongue tangled with hers for the first time in over a year, he tasted lingering beer and sharp whiskey. It took his brain a moment to catch up to what his tongue was telling him, and even longer for him to wrestle his limbs back under his control. He broke away from her, ignoring the delicious, disappointed mewl she gave him, and held her away from his body.  
  
“You’re drunk,” he said. His voice was huskier than he wanted it to be; he needed to sound controlled, not on the verge of turning her around and fucking her against the wall. She tried to come closer, but he held her firmly out of reach.  
  
“Only a little,” she admitted. She tucked her hair behind her right ear, her tattoo flashing in the half-light.  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her, and she blushed and looked away.  
  
“Okay,” she said. “Maybe more than a little.” She giggled, and if he hadn’t been so frustrated, he would have grinned at how adorable the Pathfinder was in that moment.  
  
He sighed and let his head thunk back against the wall. “What are you doing here?” He whispered.  
  
She drew closer to him, pressing her hand to his chest. “I thought that was obvious.” She pressed gentle kisses to his neck, slowly climbing her way up to nibble at his earlobe.  
  
“Sara,” he sighed. “This is wrong.”  
  
She pulled back, and he caught the hurt as it flashed through her blue eyes. “You don’t want this?”  
  
He stared at her, and then glanced down at the bulge in his pants before looking back up at her. “Now you’re just talking crazy.”  
  
She licked her lips as she followed his gaze, but had enough control to look back at him. “Then what’s the problem?”  
  
“You’re drunk,” he said.  
  
She shrugged, but looked away from him.  
  
“You and Liam just broke up, literally four hours ago,” he added.  
  
“That was four hours ago,” she said. “Now, I’m as free as the dust in the solar wind.”  
  
He was pretty sure that was a quote from something, but let it pass. “You should probably be that way for more than four hours, Sara” he said.  
  
She closed her eyes, but the corners of her mouth creased and her chin wobbled slightly. It wasn’t his intention to make her cry, but she was also an emotional wreck at the moment. It was probably unavoidable.  
  
“And,” he whispered, his eyes trained on her. “I don’t want you to regret any time you’re with me.” He used two gentle fingers to guide her face back to look at him. The bright blue and green irises shimmered with tears and he gave her a soft smile. “I think you’d regret this in the morning.”  
  
Her face crumpled and she ran both hands through her hair. “I regret it right now,” she admitted.  
  
He nodded, and straightened up. “Come on,” he said, placing his good hand on the small of her back. “Let’s get you to bed.”  
  
She nodded, silent tears streaking down her face. “Fuck,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry, Reyes.”  
  
“I know, Princesa,” he murmured. He walked with her down to her quarters, taking his time on the ladder since navigating it with one hand was a bitch. Once they reached her door she turned to look at him, and he already knew what was coming.  
  
“Stay?” She asked. The heat between them had cooled in the wake of her guilt and grief; there was no danger of them having sex now. Regardless, he should tell her no. But she stood there before him, so vulnerable and sad, and he knew he wouldn’t. He had never been very good at denying her anything.  
  
“Okay,” he said.  
  
“Thank you,” she whispered. He followed her into the dark room, trying not to think about the last time he was there. He tried not to see her sitting on the bed, a syringe of Oblivion poised above the crease in her elbow, her white Initiative belt knotted around her upper arm. He tried no to think about the yelling and the tears, and the remorseful sex they’d needed to try to cauterize the wound Ditaeon had left in them both.  
  
He tried and he failed, the memories flooding him. He watched as she slipped off her shoes and went to the bed. She was wearing her typical tank top and leggings, apparently her take on pajamas because she climbed under the blankets without undressing. A blessing, really.  
  
“Coming?” She asked.  
  
He should go take a pain reliever, at least. His wrist pounded out a sharp, painful rhythm and every movement reverberated through the healing bone and flesh. But, instead he found himself slipping out of his cargo pants and joining her in the bed.  
  
She was so warm, her soft skin radiating inviting heat, and his body curved on hers automatically. As if there was no other way for him to lay. He supposed there really wasn’t. She relaxed back against his chest, the mint of her hair soothing his racing thoughts. Everything about this moment was conflicting. His brain told him it was wrong, it was what they’d both swore not to let happen, it was off limits. Forbidden. And yet, his heart and his body were finally relaxed and free. This was where he belonged, by her side, always. This was where he wanted to be, more than anything else.  
  
Sara’s shuddering breath pulled him from his thoughts. He hugged her tighter against him with his left arm that draped around her waist. “Hey,” he whispered. “What’s wrong?”  
  
“I’m just,” she hiccuped. “I’m so fucked up.”  
  
“No,” he said. His lips were at her ear, breathing all the comforting words he knew into her.  
  
She nodded. “I used Liam,” she cried. “For months.”  
  
Something fierce and angry rolled through him. “Did he say that?”  
  
She buried her face into her pillow. “Not in so many words,” she said.  
  
Which meant he’d implied it. Reyes considered punching Liam in the morning. He’d seen the man box; even with his main hand broken, Reyes was certain he could take him. But, that wouldn’t help Sara. It wouldn’t help the crew or the mission either. He sighed and held her tight, hoping he could at least help her weather this particular storm.  
  
“I’m always hurting the people I care about,” she whispered after she calmed her sobbing.  
  
“Not always,” he promised.  
  
“I hurt you,” she said.  
  
He froze, his arm tightening around her. “I earned Ditaeon,” he said after a moment.  
  
“Not just then,” she answered. “I asked you to stay, when you told me it was too much, because I didn’t want to go without you.”  
  
He ignored the bright flash of hope in his chest her words brought him. “I still could have said ‘no’,” he reminded her. “I could have stayed in Kadara.”  
  
“I hurt you tonight,” she whispered.  
  
“I have a feeling I’ll live,” he said, a soft smile pressed to her neck.  
  
“Why’s that?”  
  
“Because, once you’ve had some time to think and to deal with all these feelings, you’ll come back to yourself.” He took a deep breath and rolled the dice, yet again. “And then, when you’re ready, you’ll come back to me.”  
  
She didn’t move, didn’t speak, and he was pretty sure she didn’t even breathe. Reyes cursed himself. He’d been too forward, she wasn’t ready for this kind of talk. He needed to give her space, not lay claim to her hours after Liam left her.  
  
She let out a small chuckle. “You’re a cocky son of a bitch, Vidal,” she whispered.  
  
Reyes laughed softly, relieved. “Sleep, Sarita. Everything will be easier in the morning.”  
  
She hummed slightly, but her body relaxed in his arms, the alcohol helping to ease her into slumber. He lay there for a few hours, fading in an out of sleep. Finally, the angry throbbing in his wrist demanded he take a pill.  
  
Sara snored softly, but didn’t stir as he extricated himself from her bed. He hissed as the blood in his arm rushed down into his wrist. He needed painkillers and an icepack, now. He stepped out of the room and looked up to see Scott exiting the galley.  
  
Reyes groaned; he was really sick of running into Ryder twins.  
  
Scott stared at him in the dim hallway, his blue eyes wide and his mouth open.  
  
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” Reyes whispered, pushing past the man to enter the kitchen.  
  
“Then what is it?” Scott asked, following him into the room.  
  
Reyes grabbed an icepack from the freezer and pressed it to his wrist. He sighed with relief as the intense cold seeped through the bandage and brace to soothe the thumping, angry pulse in his joint. He opened his eyes to find Scott waiting for his answer, arms crossed and foot tapping the floor.  
  
“They broke up today,” he said.  
  
Scott sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It was just a matter of time,” he said.  
  
“Well,” he said. “That doesn’t mean she’s handling it well.” His voice was darker than he intended, charged with feelings he should have left back in her room.  
  
Scott considered him for a moment and then groaned, wrinkling his nose. “She came to your room, didn’t she?”  
  
He nodded, his wrist pressed to his chest with the icepack as he leaned against the counter. “She was drunk,” he added.  
  
There was an awkward silence, and then Scott cleared his throat. “You didn’t… did you?”  
  
Reyes glared at him.  
  
Scott shrugged. “As a man, I wouldn’t blame you. The tension between you two is insane.” He ran a hand through his hair and leaned his hip against the table. “But, as her brother I’d have to maim you.” He glanced at Reyes’ wrist. “Further,” he added.  
  
Reyes shook his head and shoved the icepack into Scott’s chest. “Just, take care of her in the morning. She’s going to feel like shit.”  
  
Scott nodded, and as Reyes walked away from him he called out, “I’m sorry, Reyes.”  
  
He turned to look back at the younger twin.  
  
“For what I said this morning,” he added. He shrugged uncomfortably. “I was out of line.”  
  
Reyes considered telling him that he really wasn’t. He understood Scott’s point of view, and if he weren’t so entangled in what was happening, he’d probably even agree with him. Instead he just nodded. “Thanks, Scott.”  
  
“Yeah,” he said. “Get some sleep, Reyes.”  
  
“You too,” he added, and then went to his bunk to take a pain pill and pass out.  
  


Dull, thudding pain behind her eyelids finally dredged Sara up from the deep, dark sleep of too many drinks. The rich, welcoming smell of coffee convinced her to flutter her eyes open, wary of the bright light of her quarters.  
  
Scott sat in her armchair, sipping at his own mug. He smirked at her as their eyes met. “She lives,” he said.  
  
She groaned as she sat up, snatching her own mug from the bedside table. “Barely,” she said. She took a tentative drink of her coffee, and sighed as the beverage invigorated her somewhat. “What are you doing here?” She asked.  
  
“A certain someone mentioned that you might be a little worse for wear this morning.”  
  
Sara frowned, her nose and brow scrunched in thought. Who would know she’d drank…?  
  
She let her head drop into one hand. “Oh, God,” she moaned. Reyes. She’d tried to sleep with Reyes last night. “What is wrong with me?”  
  
“Aside from your hangover?”  
  
She glared at him.  
  
He shrugged and took a loud slurp of his coffee. “You’re not very good at dealing with your negative emotions. Probably has something to do with Dad always being so hard on us.”  
  
“Thanks, Lexi,” Sara drawled.  
  
“Hey, you asked.”  
  
She took another sip of her coffee and tried to ignore the thumping pulse in her head. “What do I do now?” She asked after a moment. The uncertainty in her voice made her blush; she hated seeming so weak, even to Scott.  
  
“What do you want?” Her brother asked.  
  
She couldn’t look at him. She looked down at her mug instead, suddenly ashamed of her feelings.  
  
Scott chuckled. “That’s a dumb question. You want Reyes.”  
  
“But I don’t want to hurt Liam,” she whispered. “Any more than I already have.”  
  
Her brother shrugged. “Liam’s a big kid, he’ll get over it eventually.”  
  
Sara looked back up at her twin, putting on her best determined face. “We’ll take it slow,” she said.  
  
“Right,” Scott laughed.  
  
“I’m serious! There’s a lot of history and emotions, things we need to work through.”  
  
Scott shook his head. “I bet you sleep together in the next two days.” He grinned. “Literally,” he said. “There’s already a betting pool.”  
  
Sara almost spat her coffee all over her twin. In hindsight, she should have; he deserved it. Instead, she set her mug on her bedside table and flopped back onto her mattress. “I swear, the next time we’re planetside I’m just going to leave you there.”  
  
“No you won’t,” he said. “Because then you’d have to deal with Gil one hundred percent of the time again.”  
  
She made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat. “That _would_ be terrible,” she griped.  
  
“Ryder,” Suvi’s voice intruded over the intercom. “We’re on approach at V925,” she said. “I’m picking up an anomaly.”  
  
“SAM,” Sara sighed. “Let her know I’ll be right there.”  
  
“Certainly, Pathfinder.”  
  
Scott groaned as he stood. “I’ll let you get ready for work.” He stepped toward the door, but paused before opening it. He looked back at her. “Just, consider that this mission is dangerous. There are a lot of unknowns.”  
  
Scott’s face was stoic, and his blue eyes were clear and bright, thoughtful even. The expression made Sara bristle slightly; she hated when her brother played the wise one.  
  
“So?” She said, letting her irritation show.  
  
“So, if you know what you want, I wouldn’t waste time worrying about what other people will think.”  
  
She squinted at him. “You just want to win your bet,” she said.  
  
Her twin just laughed as he left her room.  
  
She dressed quickly in a plain Initiative t-shirt and cargo pants, and then hurried up to the bridge.  
  
“What’ve we got?” She asked as she reached the galaxy map.  
  
“We’ve found a planet that is viable for dextro-based lifeforms, Pathfinder,” Suvi answered.  
  
“Any sign of Joh’Zolan?” She asked as she eyed the planet. It wasn’t very large, as far as planets went. She could see several mountain ranges across the rust colored surface, as well as a few pockets of dusty green that might be forests, and one very large expanse of a pale blue ocean. “Looks promising,” she said.  
  
“It is,” Suvi confirmed.  
  
“But…?” Sara glanced back at the door as it opened to reveal Scott and Reyes joining them on the bridge.  
  
“But,” Suvi said. “We’re reading a large Kett presence.”  
  
“How large?” Scott asked, suddenly all business at the mention of Kett. The Archon had left scars on all of them, but none more than her brother. And no one on board blamed him.  
  
“Once we’re on the ground SAM will be able to tell us more,” Suvi said. “But, preliminary scans show several large concentrations of structures.”  
  
“Military compounds?” Sara asked.  
  
“I don’t think so,” the science officer said, shaking her head.  
  
“Then what?” Reyes asked.  
  
“I’m not an expert on the Kett,” she said. “But, if I were to guess, I’d say they were cities.”  
  
Sara stared at Suvi for a moment, flabbergasted. “You mean, like Kett civilians?” She glanced back at Scott. “Is there even such a thing?”  
  
“I don’t see why not,” Suvi answered. “They must have something worth fighting for.”  
  
“Enslavement and ‘enlightenment’ of other species, Suvi,” Scott said, his voice hard. “That’s what they fight for.” He turned his attention back to Sara. “If that’s the Kett homeworld, we need to do reconnaissance.”  
  
“If that’s the Kett homeworld,” Reyes interrupted, his arms crossed with his braced wrist on top. “We need reinforcements.”  
  
Sara sighed, and looked back to the planet. “We’ll need both,” she said. They needed as much information on that planet as they could get, so they could bring the right kinds of reinforcement. But, her mission right now was finding the Quarian Pathfinder and his team. She turned to Suvi, “still no read on Joh’Zolan?”  
  
Suvi shook her head. “This is the most promising lead so far,” she said. “But there is one more system we haven’t checked. He could be there.”  
  
Sara looked back to the planet. It was a rusty brown color, like the clay in the Sonoran desert. It didn’t look inviting, didn’t look all that promising. It didn’t look like Aya with its lush tropical environment and endless waterfalls. But, for the Quarians, it was the first real chance at a home in over 300 years.  
  
“That planet’s dextro-friendly,” she said to the room. “Our chances of finding the Pathfinder there are better than any of the other planets we’ve scanned.” She turned to her pilot. “Kallo, find us an LZ, and keep us out of sight.”  
  
“You got it, Ryder.”  
  
“SAM?”  
  
“Pathfinder.”  
  
“Can you enhance our scans at all? We just need to find anything that can help us find Joh’Zolan.”  
  
“Enhancing now,” the AI replied.  
  
“Scott,” she said. He didn’t look at her right away, his cold blue eyes locked on the planet. “Scott,” she repeated, adding a layer of steel to her voice. He blinked and met her gaze. “Gather the crew at the vidcon,” she said. “We need a plan.”  
  
Her brother nodded, and then left the bridge. She kept her eyes on his back, and tried not to let the worry she felt for him show on her face. But, she should have known she wouldn’t be able to keep her concern from Reyes.  
  
“I’ll go with him,” he said. His amber eyes were warm and open, his concern for both herself and Scott plain on his face. If she’d worried that her behavior the night before had damaged their relationship in someway, she didn’t worry now. In fact, he seemed even less guarded with her than he’d been since he joined the Tempest.  
  
Sara nodded her thanks, and then turned back to the planet. This mission was getting riskier by the minute, and she was tired of going into each mission blind. But, if the Quarian Pathfinder was down there, then she needed to be too. No matter how many Kett were on the ground.


	17. Fury

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Holy hell, chapter 17. Who's driving this thing? Oh. Right. Me... *gulps*  
> Thank you everyone who has read, left kudos, and commented so far. You're all troopers for following along on this long ass ride. I hope you like this one!

Reyes stood next to Gil at the vidcon, only half listening to the soothing mantra the engineer was giving his Ryder twin. Scott was agitated, the mention of Kett forces triggering something in the man Reyes had yet to see. He was angry, cold, and almost bloodthirsty in his demeanor. And, for the first time, Reyes doubted if Sara should take him ground-side with her.  
  
But, he couldn’t offer up the preferred alternative, since he wouldn’t be cleared for duty for at least another two to three weeks. He sighed and rolled his right shoulder. The muscles there were sore from the constant tension as he coddled his wrist.  
  
Lexi caught the motion from beside Jaal and Peebee across the conference table. She frowned at him, concern in her gray eyes as her lips pursed.   
  
Reyes sighed again. He could count on a visit from her after this meeting.  
  
“Something wrong?” Vetra asked. She towered beside him, her arms crossed as she waited for the Pathfinder.  
  
He shook his head. “Just thinking of ways to be useful,” he muttered, lifting his damaged limb. He wasn’t sure if she heard him over the chatter in the room.  
  
“I might be able to help with that,” she said after a moment of appraisal. “Meet me in my room later?”  
  
He nodded, his brain rushing to try and think of what Vetra might have in mind, but the sudden hush that fell over the vidcon distracted him.  
  
Liam had arrived, the first anyone had seen him since yesterday’s events. Reyes had heard the chatter, had even heard there was a betting pool going around to see how long it would take him and Sara to sleep together. Usually, that type of thing would make Reyes chuckle, but these were tight quarters with an even tighter crew. He couldn’t afford to make enemies.  
  
And, no matter how much he’d wanted to punch Liam last night, the urge left him completely when he set sights on the man.  
  
He looked exhausted, the most worn-down Reyes had ever seen him. His eyes were puffy and red-rimmed, either from lack of sleep or crying, Reyes wasn’t sure. Everything about him seemed to droop, like he moved under the force of some great weight. It all spoke to regret, sorrow, and pain.  
  
And in this case, Reyes couldn’t take joy in that.  
  
Liam frowned around the quiet room. “You people need to get some hobbies,” he snapped as he leaned against the conference table.  
  
Peebee snorted. “Like working out at all hours of the day?”  
  
Liam scowled. “Would you prefer I gossip about your relationship with Jaal instead?” Then his brown eyes locked on Gil, full of accusation. “When can I place my bet on when they’ll bang for the first time?”  
  
The whole room stared at Liam, and Gil stammered. Reyes was mildly surprised that Scott didn’t spout off some snarky remark, but the look on the man’s face said his rage boiled just beneath the surface of his skin. Whether it was really directed at Liam or not, was a mystery.  
  
Jaal leaned down to speak at Peebee’s ear, and she stood on the tips of her toes to reply. Then Jaal laughed, full and boisterous.  
  
“Liam, my friend,” the angara chortled. “I’m afraid wagers on that would be a waste of credits. It’s already happened.”  
  
The whole room broke into raucous laughter as Peebee blushed bright purple and punched Jaal on the arm lightly. As the laughter continued, easing the tension in the room, Peebee shrugged and leaned into her angaran boyfriend.  
  
“That’s a promising sound,” Sara said as she arrived at the vidcon. “What did I miss?”  
  
“Oh, just Jaal embarrassing the piss out of Peebee,” Gil replied, grinning.  
  
She smiled. “Someone will have to tell me all about it later.” The room quieted down, and everyone waited for what the Pathfinder had to say. But, SAM piped up first.   
  
“Pathfinder,” the AI said. “I have concluded scanning the planet.”  
  
“And?”  
  
“I am unable to locate Pathfinder Joh’Zolan,” it said. “There is considerable comm interference from the Kett population centers.”  
  
The room burst into loud speculation and demanding questions at the phrase ‘Kett population centers’.  
  
“However,” SAM said, his volume increased to be heard over the din of the crew. “I have located a faint ion trail that is the product of a shuttle of Milky Way design.”  
  
Scott slammed his palms onto the conference table, leaning on them to stare at his twin. “That’s him,” he proclaimed.  
  
Sara nodded once, her long, sandy hair falling out from behind her ear. “I agree.”  
  
Scott pushed off from the table. “Then we need to get down there.”  
  
She glanced at her brother, her blue eyes guarded. “We do,” she said. “But, you’re staying here.”  
  
“What?” Scott froze, rooted into place by his twin’s perceived betrayal.   
  
Reyes glanced at Gil, and he could see relief on the engineer’s face. He didn’t want Scott to go.  
  
“Jaal and Peebee will accompany me on this mission.”  
  
The two squadmates mentioned nodded, but they were both frowning. No one wanted to be put in the crossfire of the Ryder twins’ disagreements.  
  
“This is an infiltration mission,” Scott continued. His voice rippled with barely checked outrage. “And you’re not bringing your Infiltrator?”  
  
Sara turned her eyes on her twin, her own anger bubbling up. “Not if you can’t keep your head,” she said. “We can’t afford to be anything but surgical in our approach.” Her voice was hard and professional.  
  
Scott scoffed, a bitter sound. “You’re letting your emotions cloud your judgment,” he accused.  
  
“No,” she snapped. “You are, Scott, and I won’t let you put the Pathfinder and both our squads in danger because of your hangups with the Kett!” Her chest heaved with angry breaths, but she blinked and was suddenly back under control. She looked away from her brother, the dismissal plain.  
  
Scott stared at her for a moment and then shook his head furiously. He stepped forward, and shrugged off Gil’s attempt to stop him. He pointed at Sara. “This is bullshit and you know it!” And then he stormed out of the room.   
  
Sara glanced at Lexi, who nodded. The doctor moved to follow the younger twin, Gil treading in her wake.   
  
“Good luck,” Reyes told the engineer as he stepped away.   
  
Gil paused to clap Reyes on the shoulder gratefully, and then hurried after the asari.  
  
Sara exhaled through her mouth, her cheeks puffing out in frustration, and then ran a hand through her hair. “Now that that’s out of the way,” she said, reclaiming her team’s attention. “Mission goals are to locate the Quarian Pathfinder and his team. Hopefully we can do that without much interference. But, prepare for a tough fight; we don’t know what’s down there.”  
  
She glanced at Reyes, and he straightened at her attention.  
  
“I’ll be scanning just about everything down there,” she said. “The information I get will be useful back home.” She held his gaze, the weight of her words settling on him. “Make sure it gets there.”  
  
He nodded, happy to be of use, and thrilled that she trusted him enough to be the one to disperse the intelligence this mission would provide. But, he caught Liam’s suspicious glance, and the way his shoulder’s stiffened at Sara’s request. Reyes would be prepared for that confrontation.  
  
“SAM,” Sara said. “Get us coordinates for where that ion trail leads, and give them to Kallo.”  
  
“Done, Pathfinder.”  
  
She looked around the room and nodded. “We’re on the ground in thirty,” she said, and then hurried from the room.  
  
  
  


Sara clasped her last piece of armor in place and had just holstered her Equalizer when the door to the armor locker opened. She watched with guarded eyes as Scott entered the room.   
  
He nodded to Peebee and Jaal, and cleared his throat. “Will you guys give us a minute?” He asked.   
  
“Of course,” Jaal said, his voice warm and understanding. He’d already told Sara he was proud of Scott for acknowledging his emotions, and had refused her attempts to explain that Scott’s behavior wasn’t healthy. But, she was grateful to him nonetheless as he tugged Peebee out of the room.  
  
“What’s up?” She asked, trying for a cool nonchalance she definitely didn’t feel. Scott was the level-headed twin, the one that kept things professional no matter what was going on. He didn’t have emotional outbursts in the vidcon, he didn’t yell at her in front of her team. And that behavior had only cemented her decision to leave him behind.  
  
He sighed, and ran a hand through his brown hair. He stared at his feet for a moment, and then met her gaze. His blue eyes were clear, but the shame was there on his face.  
  
“I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right to leave me here. I’m not in the right place for this mission.”  
  
She nodded. “Did you talk to Lexi?”  
  
“Yeah,” he said. “Me and Gil.”  
  
“And it helped?” It must have if he was here, apologizing to her.  
  
“Yeah,” he said. “For now.” He cleared his throat. “I, uh,” he took a deep breath. “I still dream about it sometimes,” he admitted. “About the fight on Meridian.”  
  
Sara blinked at him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”  
  
He looked away from her and let out another, unsteady breath. “I didn’t want you to leave me behind,” he said. “I didn’t want to be stuck in Heleus, when I knew you’d eventually have to explore further.”  
  
“Scott,” she admonished, but stepped closer to her twin. When he didn’t look at her, she pulled his chin back to face her. “I almost lost you, twice.” She shook her head and ignored the sting in her eyes. “I would never leave Heleus without you.”  
  
He closed his eyes against his own sudden well of emotion and nodded. “I know that, now,” he said.  
  
She let out a shaky laugh. “Good, you idiot.”  
  
Her brother graced her with a shy smile. “I’m sorry I can’t go with you,” he whispered. “Be safe down there.” He tilted his forehead down to touch hers.  
  
“I will,” she promised. “Now go,” she said, pushing him away from her playfully. “Do something to keep yourself entertained.”  
  
He smirked at her as he backed toward the door. “There is a certain redhead…” he said.  
  
Sara pulled a disgusted face. “You’re a perv,” she called as he retreated through the door.  
  
“No doubt about it,” he replied, and they both laughed as he vanished from her sight.  
  
Sara shook her head, still chuckling as she joined Jaal and Peebee as they headed down to the cargo bay.  
  
“I take it that went well?” Peebee asked as they finished their pre-mission equipment checks.  
  
“Better than expected, actually.”  
  
“You see, Ryder,” Jaal said, pride in his voice. “Expressing one’s emotions is always a good idea.” He nudged Peebee with an elbow. “Right, Pelessaria?”  
  
Peebee rolled her eyes at him, but didn’t reply. Jaal just grinned at her.  
  
Sara snorted. “You guys are gross,” she said with a grin.  
  
“Definitely,” Peebee agreed. Jaal’s grin only grew.  
  
“I’ve learned that Peebee often exaggerates or complains about the things she actually enjoys.”  
  
The asari’s green eyes widened. “Don’t tell Lexi that!”  
  
Sara and Jaal both burst out laughing then, only to be interrupted by Kallo.  
  
“We’ve got a drop zone, Ryder,” he said. “Taking us in now.” There was a pause, and then the salarian’s thin voice came over the intercom again, more grim this time. “Be careful down there. There’s a lot of Kett activity.”  
  
“Thanks, Kallo,” Sara said, and then looked back to her squad. The laughter and good humor had died down, both the angara and the asari suddenly back to business. “We keep low and quiet,” Sara said. “If we can keep the Kett oblivious to our presence, we can find the Pathfinder and get out.”  
  
“Understood,” Jaal said.  
  
“We’re with you, Ryder,” Peebee added.  
  
The Pathfinder nodded, and steadied herself as the Tempest touched down. “Here we go,” she said. The ramp descended with that familiar mechanical whir. It was a comforting sound as Sara faced yet another unknown on this mission.   
  
She led the way down the ramp, surprised by the warmth and strength of the breeze as it blew rust-colored dust through the air. Her boots found the dirt, and she took a glance back into the hold to see Reyes and her brother standing together, their arms crossed. The Pathfinder’s guardians, damaged sentinels that had to be left behind. She nodded to them, and they returned the gesture, though Scott hurried away afterward, still frustrated.  
  
But Reyes stayed, his eyes heavy on her back as she walked away into unknown dangers, yet again.  
  
  
  


Reyes stood at the peak of the cargo ramp watching Sara walk away from him. He hated it. He knew that Jaal and Peebee had been with her longer, had fought beside her for almost two years, but he couldn’t shake the disquiet he felt when he thought about her out there without him. That Scott had also been left behind only compounded his anxiety.  
  
Gil must have recalled the ramp because the mechanism hummed to life, closing off the Tempest from the arid, dusty wind of the planet. Still, Reyes stood and waited until the ramp cut off his view of the Pathfinder.  
  
Once the ramp closed, Reyes turned to find Liam standing behind him. The young man radiated angry frustration, his every movement, from his tensed shoulders and back to his labored breathing screamed ‘volatile’.  
  
Reyes watched with guarded eyes, but very purposefully kept his body loose. If he could keep his body language relaxed, neither threatened nor threatening, he might be able to deescalate this encounter. Maybe.  
  
“Liam,” he greeted. His voice was cool, but not unfriendly. But, that didn’t matter to Kosta.  
  
“You couldn’t even wait one day,” the man accused.   
  
Reyes frowned. “What are you talking about?”  
  
Liam stepped closer, his face too close his own. It took much of Reyes’ self-control not to shove him away.  
  
“I know she was in your room last night,” he seethed.   
  
“And how do you know that?” Reyes wanted to know which man to punish, Scott or Gil. Because they were the only ones that should know what happened last night.   
  
Hurt flashed across Liam’s face. “You don’t deny it?”  
  
“You haven’t said anything untrue, yet.” Reyes shrugged. The flippant response was a mistake. Liam’s lip curled in an angry snarl and then his fist swung at Reyes’ face.  
  
Muscle memory and habit made Reyes duck and bring his right arm up to block the blow. The younger man’s fist collided with his arm just below the brace on his wrist. The pain was intense, an instant searing flash that faded into an angry, persistent thump. But, Reyes recovered quickly, rolling with the punch so that the majority of the force glanced off him.   
  
“It’s not what you think,” he growled. Reyes didn’t want to fight Liam. This wouldn’t help anything, it would only hurt. It would hurt Sara, both because of Liam’s obvious pain, and his aggression toward Reyes. And, it had already hurt Reyes physically, as his angry wrist reminded him with each fiery pulse.   
  
Liam scoffed. “Not what I think?”   
  
He tried to punch Reyes again, but this time the smuggler was ready for him. Reyes dodged the incoming attack and danced away from Liam, putting his speed to good use.  
  
“You know what I think?” Liam taunted as Reyes fluttered out of his reach. “I think you probably didn’t even wait.” Liam pounced on him, panting and furious, but Reyes was still too fast. “You’ve probably been sleeping with her all along!”  
  
That was the limit on Reyes’ control. He snapped, not because Liam accused him of cheating; the idiot could say what he wanted about Reyes. But that meant he thought Sara was capable of cheating on him, that she would ever do something so hurtful to someone she cared about, to someone who cared about her. And they both knew she would never do that. Liam was letting his anger get the better of him, yet again.  
  
He let Liam commit to another right hook, and dodged around it at the last second. Liam’s momentum carried him forward, and Reyes side-stepped behind him to capture him in a rough choke-hold, the hard plastic of his brace pressed to Liam’s throat. Liam spluttered as Reyes pulled him back, his back arched painfully in an effort to alleviate the pressure on his windpipe as Reyes leaned against the passenger side of the Nomad.  
  
“You _fucking_  pendejo,” Reyes snarled in Liam’s ear. “You know she’s not like that.”  
  
“But you are?” Liam wheezed, struggling against Reyes’ grip.  
  
He tightened his hold, ignoring the flare of excruciating heat in his wrist. “I never said I was a good man, Liam.” The added pressure stilled the younger man, his body arched back and his weight in his toes. “I don’t know what you’ve heard,” Reyes continued. “But nothing happened between me and Sara.”  
  
Shouting from above them convinced Reyes to release Liam.  
  
“Get Lexi,” Scott called to Gil as he slid down the ladder into the cargo bay. “Break it up,” he said, coming between them even though it was obvious the fight was over.  
  
Liam stood, his hands on his knees as he wheezed, coughing and red-faced, but Reyes just shrugged, cradling his wrist to his chest.  “Just a misunderstanding,” he said to Scott.  
  
“A misunderstanding?” Scott’s voice hit a pitch Reyes hadn’t known it could reach. “What the fuck is wrong with you two?” He swept his arm out, gesturing beyond the walls of the Tempest. “She’s out there facing God knows what and you two are having a fucking fist-fight?”  
  
“It was my fault,” Liam rasped. “I started it.”  
  
“I don’t care who started it!” Ryder glared at each of them, his cold eyes lit with the pale blue of his biotics. It was a rare display from the more controlled twin. His biotics weren’t as intrinsic to him as his sister, he barely used them, but it had its desired effect in that moment.   
  
And then Lexi appeared, her soothing presence instantly deflating any lingering tempers. “All right, Dad,” she teased Scott. “I’ll handle it from here.”  
  
He glowered at them all, and then shook his head, every inch the disappointed parent as he stomped off towards the galley.  
  
Lexi sighed as she watched him go and then turned to Reyes. “I’ve had more work to do in the last few weeks than I did the whole time we hunted the Archon.”  
  
Reyes smirked, but it was lacking his usual bravado. The adrenaline of their brawl was wearing off, and his wrist ached something fierce. “Can’t let our favorite Xenobiologist get rusty,” he said.  
  
She frowned at him, but she couldn’t quite keep one corner of her mouth from lifting. “But, a chance to breathe would be nice.” She glanced between them, her eyebrows raised. “Who’s worse?”  
  
Liam pointed to Reyes, his vocal chords probably still painful to use. Reyes didn’t argue; his wrist felt almost as bad as when it first broke. He proffered the wounded arm to her and she glared at him.   
  
“Do I need to put you in a sling? Or a cast?”  
  
“No,” he said, looking away from her.   
  
“Then stop using your brace as a battering ram,” she chastised. She used her omnitool to take some scans, and she sighed with agitated relief. “No additional damage,” she murmured. “But you’ve ripped through a few stitches. We’ll need to re-do them.” She glared at him one more time. “Medbay, now,” she commanded.  
  
Reyes glanced at Liam, unsure if he should leave the room before they’d really resolved their confrontation.  
  
Lexi let out a dark chuckle. “Oh, trust me, you’ll get your chance to discuss everything.” She smirked at them. “With me, in the medbay.” She held up a hand, silencing Liam’s ragged protest. “This is non-negotiable,” she said. “This behavior is unacceptable and unfitting of the Pathfinder’s team.” Her gray eyes were hard and unyielding. “We will settle this, like adults, after I’ve tended to your physical injuries.”  
  
Reyes nodded, smart enough to know when there was no point arguing. And arguing with the ship’s psychologist was a losing battle anyway. So, he stepped away from them both, and marched shamefully up to the medbay. He hoped Lexi would use a local anesthetic when she re-sutured his incision, but he doubted it. She was angry enough that she might just let him feel the pain.  
  
And he was sorry enough to think he might just deserve it.


	18. Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: All right! Thank you all you lovely readers, commenters, and kudos-leavers! You are the best! Now, enjoy some Lexi time and Plot, with a capital P!

Reyes sat on one of the beds in the medbay, his wrist freshly bandaged and tightly braced. The numbing chill of the local anesthetic was fading, but for now he enjoyed the lack of stinging pain in his sutures. Liam sat on the bed opposite him, an icepack to his throat to try to relieve the swelling and bruising from Reyes’ choke-hold. Lexi stood between them, ready to mediate the conversation.  
  
“So,” she said, her arms crossed. “Who wants to tell me what happened?”  
  
Reyes looked at Liam, who shrugged one shoulder. He looked sullen, the dog that’d been punished for chewing on a shoe.  
  
Reyes sighed. “It was just a misunderstanding,” he said.  
  
Lexi arched an eyebrow at him. “Quite the misunderstanding, apparently.”  
  
He shrugged. “Liam heard some piece of information, and understandably made a few assumptions.”  
  
Liam shook his head, but whether in displeasure or disbelief, Reyes wasn’t sure.  
  
“You don’t agree with this, Liam?” Lexi asked.  
  
“Oh, it’s accurate enough,” he croaked. “Just, much more forgiving than I deserve.”  
  
Reyes winced. The man’s voice sounded painful, and he was sorry for that, but it’d been the most effective way to deescalate the altercation.  
  
“And is it safe to assume this misunderstanding involved the Pathfinder?”  
  
Another shared glance between the men, and then they both looked away and nodded.  
  
“Would anyone care to enlighten me as to what was so terrible that you decided you no longer needed to honor your agreement to keep things civil between you?” Her tone was at once filled with motherly concern and acidic disappointment. Reyes felt bad for any children the doctor might have; they’d never escape their mother’s psychoanalytic prowess.  
  
Reyes refused to speak. This was about the conflict between himself and Liam; he would not drag Sara’s grief and guilt into it.  
  
Liam sighed. “I heard Scott and Gil talking about Sara as they came down the lift this morning.” He wouldn’t look at Reyes, which was fine with the smuggler. “They didn’t know my door was open. They thought they were alone.”  
  
Well, that explained that. Leave it to those two to bandy about information as if the Tempest weren’t full of gossip-mongers.  
  
“And what did they say?” Lexi asked.  
  
“That she’d gone to see him last night.” Liam finally looked up at him, hurt and confusion darkening his brown eyes. “That Scott caught Reyes leaving her room in the middle of the night.”  
  
Reyes let his head fall back in frustration. “’Caught’ is a strong word. It implies something forbidden.”  
  
Liam’s brow pulled down, the corners of his mouth doing the same. “So you were in her room last night?”  
  
Reyes glanced between Liam and Lexi. “And if I was?” He asked, his eyes hard as he stared at Liam. “You broke up with her, remember?”  
  
Liam’s face scrunched with distaste. “Doesn’t mean I have to like the thought of her sleeping with someone else so soon.”  
  
Reyes shrugged. He’d spent the last year hating the idea that Sara was sleeping with other people. That didn’t mean he started fistfights with Tiran Kandros.  
  
“Not liking it doesn’t equal starting a brawl in the cargo bay,” Lexi said.  
  
“I know,” Liam sighed. “It was stupid of me.” He glanced at Reyes and shook his head. “And embarrassing. You’re damaged goods and still managed to neutralize me in less than two minutes!”  
  
Reyes smirked. “Don’t worry, Kosta, you’re secret’s safe with me.”  
  
“Well,” Lexi interrupted. “It’s not with me.” She pulled up her omnitool and started typing. “I have to report this to the Pathfinder.”  
  
“What?” Both men asked, their heads whipping to gape at the doctor.  
  
She shook her head. “I’m sorry gentlemen, but this is an infraction that can’t be ignored.” She sighed dramatically. “Ryder must know if members of her team can’t work together.”  
  
Liam paled, his brown eyes wide with fear. If Sara found out they’d hurt each other, that Liam had caused Reyes to tear open his sutures… well, the man had good reason to be afraid. “We’ll work together,” he promised, his wounded voice breaking slightly. “Right, Vidal?”  
  
Reyes nodded. “If the good doctor is willing to sweep this under the rug,” he said with a shrug. “I don’t see why not.”  
  
“See?” Liam croaked. He winced as he cleared his throat. “We’ll be civil. A team,” he promised.  
  
Lexi eyed them, unconvinced.  
  
Liam lifted two fingers up by his shoulder. “Scout’s honor.”  
  
The doctor only squinted at him more. “You were never a Boy Scout, Liam.”  
  
His mouth fell open. “How’d you know that?”  
  
The asari smirked and tapped her temple with a delicate forefinger. “I know everything, Kosta.”  
  
Reyes chuckled as Liam appealed to him. “We all know I can’t be trusted to keep my word,” he said blithely. His casual shrug and the smirk on his face meant to deflect any scrutiny, but Lexi wasn’t so easily dissuaded.  
  
“Do we?” She asked. “Of the two of you, you’ve been much more reliable on this mission, Reyes.” She pursed her lips, hiding a satisfied smile. “You follow instructions, have picked up extra tasks and completed them consistently and competently.”  
  
“Just competently?” Reyes asked with a grin. “Do I still get my gold star?”  
  
She let a hint of that smile show, but pressed on. “I would describe your behavior on the Tempest so far as steadfast, dependable, and hardworking.”  
  
“And apparently incredibly boring,” he grumbled. His omnitool pinged, and he looked down to see a message from Vetra.  
  


 

> _To: Reyes Vidal_  
>  _From: Vetra Nyx_  
> 
> 
> _You almost done in there? I’ve got a proposition for you when you are. Come see me._  
>    
> 

Reyes looked up at the doctor, and then to Liam. “Doc, thanks for taking such good care of me,” he said with a genuine smile. He liked Lexi, liked the mental stimulation of their conversations. Their dynamic constantly teetered on a tightrope of information. How much could he give and remain the enigma that she so desperately wanted to unravel? And how careful was he to keep his guard up around her when she was so good at disarming everyone with a kind word and smile?  
  
But, he had work to do.  
  
“And just where are you going?” She asked as he slid off the bed.  
  
“Vetra and I are working on a project,” he answered.  
  
Lexi eyed him for a minute, like she wanted to argue that he stay. But then she nodded. “Fine,” she said in a dissatisfied huff. Liam made to slide off his bed, and she turned on him. “Not you,” she snapped. “We have more to discuss.”  
  
“But,” he started.  
  
“Or shall I tell the Pathfinder after all?” She asked archly, fingers poised over her omnitool.  
  
Reyes shook his head, laughing softly to himself as he left the room and headed for Vetra’s corner of the cargo bay. The door was open when he arrived, so he knocked on the door frame with his good hand to announce himself.  
  
Vetra spun in her chair to look at him. “Took you long enough,” she said, but there was no heat to her words. It was an observation, not an accusation.  
  
He shrugged. “Lexi is a little too interested in puzzling me out.”  
  
The turian nodded. “You’re the new file,” she said. “Until she learns everything about you, it’ll be that way.”  
  
Reyes wondered if he could handle the doctor constantly psychoanalyzing him for the rest of his days on the Tempest, because she would _never_ know everything about him. “What’s this proposition?” He asked, changing the subject.  
  
Vetra eyed him for a moment, obviously wishing they weren’t talking business quite yet. “Pathfinder’s got you in charge of intel from this away mission.”  
  
“Yes,” he said. He hated repeating information they both knew; it was a waste of time.  
  
“You need my help,” she said.  
  
He crossed his arms as he leaned against the door frame, careful to keep his freshly re-braced wrist on top. “And why’s that?”  
  
Her mandibles flared as she chuckled. “You think Tann will trust anything you send him?” She shook her head. “The Collective might look out for Ditaeon, but that doesn’t exactly make you allies with the Nexus.”  
  
Reyes shrugged. “I prefer my arrangement with the Pathfinder.”  
  
Vetra smirked. “I’m sure you do.”  
  
He was careful to keep his expression neutral, but the turian’s mandible clicked with satisfaction. “What did you have in mind?” He asked.  
  
She shrugged. “I could be your go between; I’ve got contacts on the Nexus.”  
  
He crossed his arms, and leaned against the wall. “You’re not the only one.”  
  
“But, Nexus leadership trusts my contacts,” she countered.  
  
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but Tann and Drack aren’t exactly on speaking terms.”  
  
Vetra laughed. “No, they aren’t,” she said. “But Kesh and Sid are.” She smiled, pride in her eyes. “And Sid’s been climbing the ranks in Colonial Affairs for months now.”  
  
He didn’t like the idea of handing over vital information to Vetra’s kid sister, but he also knew Vetra was a realist. She wouldn’t trust Sid with the job if she didn’t think she could handle it.  
  
Vetra sensed his uncertainty. “I only mention it, because I think you could use the freed up resources in a more productive way.”  
  
He smirked. “Fancy yourself a mob-boss now, Nyx?”  
  
She snorted, or whatever the turian equivalent of the sound was. “No. But, the Collective needs to win some points with the Initiative.” She leveled a hard, green eye on him. “The Pathfinder’s word won’t always be enough to protect you.”  
  
Reyes froze. He and Vetra were two of a kind, left on their own far too young. They were willing to cut the necessary corners and ignore the rules when they could if it meant surviving. Words like that wouldn’t be shared without intent. But, he didn’t think she’d threaten him either. “What have you heard?”  
  
She shrugged. “Nothing concrete,” she said, dual-toned voice low and swift, conspiratorial. “But Addison doesn’t approve of the Pathfinder’s connection to the Collective. She thinks Ditaeon is well-established enough to look out for itself.”  
  
That wasn’t surprising; Addison was short-sighted and foolish. “And what does your illustrious leader think?”  
  
“Tann?” Vetra scoffed. “He hopes that, if Ditaeon did stand on its own two feet, it would be the first step in creating a stronger presence in Govorkam.” She tilted her head from side to side. “But, he’s too unsure to commit to the effort. He’ll wait for Addison to make a move.”  
  
Reyes scowled down at the floor. “I’m assuming you have thoughts on what we could do to… ingratiate ourselves to the Initiative?”  
  
Her mandibles flared. “You found the ark,” she said. “You have the resources to scan and place probes.”  
  
He shrugged. There was no point denying, but he wouldn’t give her the details either. “I’m listening.”  
  
“Use those resources to help the rest of the Pathfinders in Alcaeus.”  
  
Reyes was impressed with her, and disappointed with himself. Why hadn’t he thought of that? “Help them map the scourge, you mean?”  
  
She gave him a curt nod. “The sooner we find the Keelah Si’yah a way back to Heleus, the sooner we can go home,” she said.  
  
He mulled it over for a moment. He’d read the dossiers on the Pathfinders, even the newest ones. Cora was unlikely to work with him, having always disapproved of Sara’s entanglement with the Collective. Vederia was too naive, too fresh-faced and hopeful. The Collective wasn’t her speed. But, Hayjer and Sarissa were possibilities. Both were more battle-hardened and realistic, used to doing what was necessary. And Avitus had trained under Saren Arterius; who knew what that turian was capable of?  
  
He pulled up his omnitool and messaged his lieutenant Kalla Pok. She would reach out to Hayjer, while he worked on delegating contacts for the asari Pathfinder and Rix. Once that was done, he looked back to Vetra. “Thank you for your help,” he said.  
  
She shrugged. “You’re not a bad man, Vidal. The Collective has a lot of potential for good, you just need someone to point it out to you every now and then,” she said, smirking.  
  
He was about to reply when his omnitool vibrated with a call. He frowned, Kalla would never call him. He looked down to see Sara’s frequency.  
  
“Sara?” He answered, his voice pitched with concern. He caught Vetra’s grin and cleared his throat. “How’s everything going down there?” He waved to the turian and hurried from the room.  
  
“Slowly,” she replied. She sounded tired and frustrated. “Are you seeing these readings?” She asked.  
  
His omnitool streamed with information, too much for him to really understand. He poured over it as he hurried up to the biolab. The door hissed open and he gasped, staring down at his omnitool. “Are they… experimenting on their own people?”  
  
“That’s what it looks like.”  
  
“Why?” He asked, sliding into his chair and firing up his terminals.  
  
“I don’t know, but SAM’s uploading an entire terminal’s worth of their research to you now. Share it with Lexi and we’ll see if we can’t figure it out.”  
  
He chuckled. Of course he’d have to work with Lexi on this, after he’d just escaped her clutches. “Sounds like I have my work cut out for me,” he said with all the charm of Vidal the Smuggler.  
  
“Gotta keep you busy somehow, Vidal,” she replied. It was a light-hearted reply, and it made him think about when they’d first worked together against the Roekaar. It had been less than two years ago, and yet it felt like ages since her voice had been so carefree with him.  
  
He could think of a few ways she could keep him busy, but it wasn’t a private channel so he just chuckled again. “Be safe down there,” he said. He wondered if she knew how much he meant it?  
  
“Always,” she said. And then she ended the call.  
  
  


Sara gritted her teeth as she waited for her shields to regenerate. She’d been pinned by an Anointed, and though her aegis had done the bulk of the work, she’d had to use her lances to fight her way out of a wave of enemies flanking her. That ate up her shields, until a shotgun blast had nearly punctured through her N7 armor.  
  
She panted and pressed her back against the rock formation she used for cover. “Do we have eyes on that fucking Destined?”  
  
“Yes,” Jaal growled through her comms.  
  
“Good,” Sara said. Her shields were back, and just in time as the Destined reappeared above her.  
  
Another quick shot of her biotics bought her the precious few seconds she needed to bring up her biotic shield. The spray from the Kett’s shotgun ricocheted off the rippling purple wall of energy, and then Jaal materialized behind the Destined, stabbing it in the back.  
  
Peebee’s Sidewinder cracked three times, the sounds echoing off the walls of the courtyard they battled through. Three Chosen collapsed, and the asari scanned the area with her pistol still drawn.  
  
“Clear,” she announced.  
  
“That was close, Ryder,” Jaal said.  
  
Sara nodded. “I fucking hate those things.”  
  
Their navpoint led them through another cluster of buildings, all part of a larger complex of Kett architecture. But, they’d encountered much more resistance than anticipated, so the going was slow. They were in some sort of medical compound, and Jaal had suggested that it looked like a hospital. But, all the Kett they’d encountered were too heavily armed and armored for that. Sara and Peebee agreed that it was yet another research facility.  
  
As they progressed through the complex, Sara scanned everything. The results so far were chilling, as usual.  
  
“SAM,” Sara said as she pulled the data from yet another terminal. “Patch Reyes through.”  
  
“Sara,” Reyes’ voice was at her ear. She didn’t miss the concern that tinged her name on his tongue, and neither did he. He cleared his throat before he added, “how’s it going down there?”  
  
“Slowly,” she said. “Are you seeing these readings?”  
  
There was a long silence as he poured over the data and Sara used it to imagine him in the biolab, hunched over his terminals. He was probably in a t-shirt and those black cargo pants he wore so well, his bare feet skimming the floor as he swiveled in his chair.  
  
He gasped, pulling her from the mental image. “Are they… experimenting on their own people?”  
  
“That’s what it looks like.”  
  
“Why?” He asked.  
  
She shrugged. “I don’t know, but SAM’s uploading an entire terminal’s worth of their research to you now. Share it with Lexi and we’ll see if we can’t figure it out.”  
  
His chuckle, low and warm, was in her ear and Sara couldn’t fight off her own smile.  
  
“Sounds like I have my work cut out for me,” he said with that voice she’d come to associate with Vidal the Smuggler.  
  
“Gotta keep you busy somehow, Vidal,” she replied, feeling like she did when they’d first worked together to take down the Roekaar on Kadara.  
  
But, instead of a pithy comeback or innuendo, he just chuckled again. “Be safe down there,” he said.  
  
“Always,” she replied and then cut the call. She turned around to see Jaal and Peebee grinning at her. “What?”  
  
“Nothing,” Jaal said, but his grin didn’t fade away.  
  
Peebee snorted. “Yeah. Nothing.”  
  
Sara blushed, and somehow Jaal managed to grin even wider. “Oh, shut up. Both of you!” Sara pushed past them and further into the lab. “Let’s keep moving.”  
  
“Right behind you, Ryder,” Peebee said. Then she lowered her voice, no doubt intending her next words for Jaal. “Right where Vidal wishes he was.”  
  
“Peebee!” Sara chastised over her shoulder, trying not to blush. “Focus!”  
  
“Sorry, Ryder.” Her tone implied she was anything but.  
  
Jaal’s chuckles did nothing to help the heat in her cheeks, so Sara focused her sights down the hall and hurried on.  
  
Almost two hours later Sara was confident they’d cleared the compound. There were multiple labs with dozens of terminals and datapads begging to be scanned and downloaded. It was a long process, so Sara was surprised when Reyes spoke in her ear.  
  
“It looks like they’re trying to figure out how to reproduce sexually.”  
  
Sara stopped in her tracks, right in the middle of the hall. “What? Why?”  
  
“Long-term planning,” he said. “Currently, their reproduction depends on the… absorption,” he paused, and he sounded like he found the term uncomfortable. “Lexi’s word, not mine, of other species. Eventually they’ll run out of species to ‘enlighten’.”  
  
“And once they do, they’ll go extinct,” she said.  
  
“Good,” Jaal growled.  
  
“They don’t agree,” Reyes said.  
  
“But this is good,” she continued. “This means they’re trying to find ways to exist without committing genocide.”  
  
“Yes and no,” Reyes countered. “Research notes imply that this facility was performing their research in secret. This is most likely a small faction of Kett working against the directives of their Archon.”  
  
Peebee groaned. “Another one?”  
  
“Sounds like you learned a lot,” Sara said, smirking.  
  
Reyes huffed a tired laugh. “And that was just from the first terminal.”  
  
“Good work, Reyes.” Sara moved on through the hall, toward what SAM said was an exit. “We’ll debrief later.”  
  
“Sounds good,” he said. “See you then.” The call ended and Sara opened the last door between her and the Pathfinder’s shuttle.  
  
She’d prepared for a firefight, to swoop in and help Joh’Zolan and his squad fend off hordes of Kett. What she hadn’t expected was to step out into a singularity. She was pulled off her feet and into the suffocating cloud of dark energy, dragged toward the roiling blue center.  
  
Peebee reacted just in time to knock Jaal back with one arm, the pair instantly drawing their weapons to lay down cover fire while Sara floated helplessly before them.  
  
Except, Sara was never helpless. She’d learned that, if she charged into an enemy’s biotic aegis, it would fail. Perhaps the singularity would be the same.  
  
Putting her amp, _the Princesa-1_ , she thought with a smirk, to good use, Sara poured all her biotic power into a charge. For a moment, nothing happened, and so she pushed harder. The disorienting dangling feeling of the singularity faded away, and she stabilized within the field of dark energy. But that wasn’t enough; she needed out. So, she pushed harder.  
  
“Sara,” SAM said in her head. “I do not recommend increasing your efforts any further.”  
  
“Almost there,” she panted. She nudged the last traces of energy she could feel buzzing through her implant, and shoved. She felt the now familiar twig snap in her head, the one that told her she’d be getting a lecture from Lexi when she got back to the Tempest. And sure enough, there was a warm trickle on her upper lip that always accompanied the sensation.  
  
And then she hurtled out of the singularity and further out into the dusty air, a streaming blur of blue and purple fire. The world around her phased out of her sight, trailing in her periphery as she flew towards the only possible hiding place of her attacker. And then she passed through the jagged, iron-infused outcropping of rock, and collided with…  
  
A volus?  
  
The short, rotund creature stumbled back with a shocked cry, but a large Quarian in a blood red envirosuit steadied him as Sara fell to one knee. Three more Quarians surrounded her, their weapons drawn. Sara wiped the blood off her lip with the back of her armored hand, and stared up at the largest Quarian.  
  
“Pathfinder Joh’Zolan?”  
  
Two bright pinpricks of light stared out of the shadowy mask at her, but he didn’t say a word.  
  
“Sara Ryder,” she said, panting slightly as she stood. “Human Pathfinder.”  
  
“What happened to Alec?” His voice was harsh, even for one filtered through a respirator. Heavy with too much responsibility and anger. That could be me someday, she thought.  
  
She shook her head. “It’s a long story,” she said. “But he didn’t survive first contact in Heleus.”  
  
“The boshtet,” Joh’Zolan cursed. “He would get himself killed when we needed him most.”  
  
Sara frowned. “Yeah, terribly sorry to inconvenience you with news of my father’s death.” It wasn’t the right response, she knew that, but she was tired and sore, and she felt a splitting headache building behind her right eye. She was out of patience. “SAM says your shuttle is nearby?”  
  
“It is,” he said, finally waving down his squad. They holstered their weapons, and at a nod from the Pathfinder the volus joined them as they gave them some space.  
  
“Did you see that?” the little alien asked his squadmates between harsh breaths. He sounded awed. “She charged out of my singularity!” Another grating breath. “Like some kind of biotic god!”  
  
Jaal and Peebee barreled around the cover, weapons drawn, but Sara waved them down. She turned back to the Quarian Pathfinder. “Perhaps we could take this elsewhere?” She said. “Like my ship?”  
  
“Gladly,” Joh’Zolan replied. “But my shuttle isn’t space worthy at the moment.”  
  
Sara smiled, trying to smooth over her less than exemplary first impression. “I have an engineer for that,” she said.  
  
Joh’Zolan scoffed. “I doubt any human engineer could repair what four Quarians couldn’t.”  
  
Sara laughed. “Well, if you’re going to make it a challenge, I’m positive Gil will have your shuttle up and running in no time.” She was pretty sure the Pathfinder was scowling at her, but it was impossible to tell through his mask. “Or I can turn around and leave you here,” she said, shrugging.  
  
The Quarian sighed dramatically through his respirator. “Fine,” he said. He turned to his people and called to one of the female Quarians. “Laela’Vaar,” he said, waving her toward him. She wore a deep indigo suit with a pale silver pattern swirling over its hood. “The rest of you, guard the shuttle. We will return.”  
  
Sara nodded to the new Quarian and then gestured to her squadmates. “This is Peebee, and our resident angara, Jaal.”  
  
“A what?” Laela’Vaar asked, curiosity lifting her already exotic voice into a pleasant song.  
  
Joh’Zolan pushed ahead, and Sara followed in his wake as Peebee and Jaal fell back to speak with the younger Quarian. Sara couldn’t quite match strides with the larger Pathfinder, but she’d be damned if she let him know it. He was taciturn, brimming with anger and condescension, and confident in his abilities and role as Pathfinder. He reminded Sara of her father.  
  
And she hated it.


	19. Sentimental

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: ... Ahem.... Enjoy ;)

Sara stood at the conference table, resisting the urge to cross her arms and cock her hip.  
  
“We’ve had great success in Heleus,” her brother said to the Quarian Pathfinder. Scott was trying to smooth over and cement the tenuous relations she’d established with Joh’Zolan. Sara was never very good at meeting new people; she was too blunt and open with her opinions. But, Scott was great at making and keeping friends.  
  
“You call every Pathfinder dead and Jien Garson and her entire leadership team wiped out by the scourge a success?”  
  
Sara winced. The Quarian Pathfinder was proving impossible to get along with, even for Scott.   
  
“No,” he said from behind clenched teeth. “But establishing four outposts, forging an alliance with the native species, and defeating a major military force are.”  
  
Reyes caught her eye from across the table, a dark eyebrow raised. He was used to her short temper and impatience, but he’d never seen Scott so openly frustrated. At least, not with someone other than his twin.  
  
“And yet,” Joh’Zolan said. “Here you are defending her achievements.” He stared at Sara. “Will the Pathfinder not speak for herself?”  
  
Sara frowned. “Will you allow me to finish my sentence this time?” She caught the twitch of Reyes’ shoulder as he smothered a laugh. Scott groaned beside her, pressing his fingers to his forehead and covering his face.  
  
“That depends,” Joh’Zolan growled. “Will you say anything worth listening to?”  
  
“All righty, then!” Scott shouted as he pushed away from the table, interrupting Sara’s barbed retort. “Let’s at least get your shuttle space-worthy again.”  
  
The large Quarian stared at her twin for a moment, and then nodded. He gestured to his female companion, much slighter and, so far, quieter than her Pathfinder. “Laela’Vaar is my chief engineer. She will,” he paused to consider her, and she dipped her hooded head ever so slightly. “Coordinate with your… mechanic.”  
  
Sara glanced at Scott, worried that the Pathfinder’s dismissal of Gil’s mechanical genius would be the snapping point for him. But, Scott just held Joh’Zolan’s shrouded gaze, a broad smile on his lips and pride shining in his blue eyes.   
  
“We’ll have your shuttle up and running in no time,” he promised. Scott mumbled something Reyes, who smirked, before he gestured to Laela’Vaar. “Follow me,” her twin said, and the pair walked off to find Gil.  
  
Sara turned back to the Pathfinder. “Now that you’re caught up on the state of the Initiative in Heleus, we need to figure out how to bring the Keelah Si’yah home.”  
  
“This planet could be home,” he said.   
  
Her brows lifted in disbelief, despite her best efforts to control them. “This planet is populated with Kett,” she said slowly.  
  
Joh’Zolan shrugged an armored shoulder. “Lucky for us, you’re an experienced Kett hunter.”  
  
Sara crossed her arms over her armored chest. “I didn’t come to Alcaeus to wage genocide,” she growled.  
  
“Why did you come here?” The Quarian barked. ”We specifically told you not to!”  
  
“We discovered your signal over a year ago,” she snapped. “When there was no further word, and you never showed up, we started prodding.” She glanced at Reyes, and he shrugged. Apparently that was close enough to the truth for him.   
  
“We were a little busy trying to survive a hostile cluster.”  
  
“Maybe you should have spent more time trying to escape it,” Sara shouted. She was exhausted, frustrated, and tired of the Quarian’s pretentious attitude. “How many lives have been lost because you were unwilling to ask for help?”  
  
Thick quiet blanketed the vidcon, but Sara’s anger didn’t abate. She glared at the Pathfinder, demanding a response with her eyes.  
  
“Is that what you think?” Joh’Zolan asked, his voice low and dangerous.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Reyes stiffen slightly at the Quarian’s tone. “I think,” she answered. “That your ark is lucky to have enough power to keep life-support operational, let alone keep 20,000 colonists alive!”  
  
The mask clouded his expression, but his eyes never wavered from her face. Hopefully her outburst had left the Pathfinder speechless. But that was too much to wish for.  
  
“I will not have my mistakes brandished at me by some girl trying to walk in her father’s boots.”  
  
“I’m not ‘brandishing’ your mistakes, Pathfinder,” Sara argued. “I’m only trying to be realistic about the ark’s situation.”  
  
“I will not be spoken to so disrespectfully by a child,” he proclaimed.  
  
Sara scowled across the table at the Quarian. “I am not a child,” she growled.  
  
Joh’Zolan scoffed. “You’re hardly old enough to go on a Pilgrimage.”  
  
“I’m not sure why you think my age has anything to do with my success as Pathfinder.”  
  
He laughed, a condescending sound, even through his respirator. “It has everything to do with it,” he said. “It’s a matter of experience.” He leaned forward, his hands planted on the edge of the table, and glared at Sara.   
  
His eyes were two bright stars in the nebulous haze of his mask, but she could imagine the expression on his face. She’d seen the haughty dismissal on her father’s face enough times that it didn’t take much imagination anymore.  
  
“Alec must have been out of his mind when he transferred SAM to you!” Joh’Zolan sneered, “I didn’t think him so foolishly sentimental.”  
  
Sara froze then, the memory of Habitat-7 rushing back to her. Her father’s face above her, his lips moving but the words lost to her as she gasped for air that wouldn’t come. The look in his cool blue eyes, Scott’s eyes, as he replaced her helmet with his own. There was no hesitation, no hint that he even once considered sacrificing his child for the good of the Initiative. Alec’s eyes had been sharp and clear, and full of love for his daughter.  
  
She couldn’t hear. The blood in her veins roared like a glacier crumbling into the sea, and it stilled her to the point of being almost painful. She stared at Joh’Zolan, and though his shoulders fell a fraction, it was obvious he had no intention of apologizing or trying to take the words back.  
  
“This meeting is over,” she said. The chill in her blood seeped into her voice, and if she hadn’t felt it the frigidity of her words would have shocked her. “Contact us when you’re ready to offer solutions instead of accusations.”  
  
She spun away, refusing to meet the amber eyes she knew were watching her. Joh’Zolan had the emotional intelligence of a rock, but Reyes knew her better than anyone, except maybe Scott. Even if she just trailed her eyes over his face, he’d know her every thought. And once the understanding was in his eyes, she’d be helpless. The dam she’d erected against the tidal wave of grief and anger would give way.  
  
So, she hurried down to her quarters to change out of her armor, and into her leggings and Blasto tank top. Sara took a moment to unravel the thick braid of her hair, running her fingers through the still-damp waves. She needed to shower, but she didn’t have the energy just then. She sat on her bed, and as the quiet of the room crowded in on her, she realized she didn’t want to be alone.  
  
Before she could think too much about it, she hurried up to the biolab, her bare feet silent on the cool metal floors of the Tempest. As she keyed in the command to open the door she heard hushed, angry words from the vidcon, but she couldn’t decipher them. When the biolab door opened to reveal the empty room, she had a good idea of what was going up there.  
  
For once, she was content to let Reyes flex his Charlatan muscle. She hated the Quarian Pathfinder, and she was pretty sure that, after that meeting, the feeling was mutual. But, they needed to work together. Maybe a little old fashioned threatening could get Joh’Zolan to cooperate enough for them to complete the mission and get the hell back to Heleus.  
  
She slumped into Reyes’ chair and spun idly. She had no idea why she was there, what she hoped to accomplish by seeing him when he finally returned to his room, but she felt a lot better there than in her quarters.   
  
“Sara,” SAM’s voice filtered through the intercom. “I have been observing your interactions with Mr. Vidal.”  
  
Sara groaned, letting her head fall back against the chair as she swiveled.   
  
“May I share my findings with you?”  
  
She sighed. “Since you asked so nicely,” she mumbled.  
  
“I believe that was sarcasm,” SAM said.  
  
“It was,” she said. “But, please, go ahead.”  
  
There was a pause, as if SAM was still uncertain. She had banned the AI from speaking to her about Reyes for almost a year now, and she was amazed it’d actually followed through on that order. She figured there was no point in stopping the questions now.  
  
“Initially, when Mr. Vidal first joined the Tempest, your heart rate and respiration were consistently increased in his presence. These symptoms did not seem to indicate sexual arousal as there was no correlated release of dopamine.”  
  
“SAM!” She blushed, dropping her face into her hands.  
  
“This suggested that Mr. Vidal’s presence on board the Tempest was a source of anxiety for you.”  
  
“Well, yeah,” she said.  
  
“May I ask why you permitted him to join the crew if his presence was stress inducing?”  
  
She sighed again. She knew the answer, deep down, and she had a feeling SAM did too. But, the AI liked to talk things through. She was beginning to think it was so she was forced to face her feelings instead of burying them down like she preferred.   
  
“Because he made a good argument to join us.” She shrugged. “His people did the hard work of locating the ark. It only made sense that the Collective tag along. If it had to be someone, I wanted it to be him.”  
  
“Because of your prior romantic history,” SAM said.   
  
She shrugged again. “I know him. I know what he’s capable of and what he could offer my team.” The chair slowed as she let it spin out its momentum. “And I trust him.”  
  
“I see.”   
  
Another pause, and Sara kicked off the floor again, sending the chair spinning.  
  
“There has been a change in your interactions with Mr. Vidal since your relationship with Mr. Kosta ended.”  
  
“Just since then?” She asked. She’d been thinking less than wholesome things about Reyes ever since Eos; surely SAM knew that.  
  
“There have been brief spikes in dopamine levels, as well as increased pulse rates in his presence previously, but they were uncommon and unsustained.”  
  
She grunted, unsure of what to say to that. So she just kept spinning.   
  
“However, there have been several instances of prolonged symptoms of arousal in the past twenty-four hours.” SAM paused. “While intoxicated last night,” it started.   
  
Sara snorted. “Of course.”  
  
“Briefly, while communicating with him via comms while on our away mission.”  
  
Sara nodded. That tracked. Their conversation had been so natural, so close to what it used to be between them, before she’d let his need for secrets derail her. Before she’d let her sense of duty, her determination to be the perfect Pathfinder convince her to walk away.  
  
“Other instances include your brief encounter in the cargo bay after speaking with Mr. Kosta, when you disembarked from the Tempest this morning, and right now.”  
  
Sara blushed further. “Did this conversation have a point, SAM?”  
  
Another pause. SAM usually included those for her benefit, since the AI’s processing speeds meant it didn’t need to take time to answer questions. But, just then, it seemed that SAM required a few extra seconds to compile its thoughts.  
  
“Will you be continuing your romantic relationship with Mr. Vidal?”  
  
Sara planted one foot on the floor, shocked by SAM’s forward question. “I don’t know,” she said after a moment. “There are a lot of things to consider first.”  
  
“I see.”   
  
More silence, and Sara began spinning in the chair again, bracing herself for whatever SAM would say next.  
  
“Do you still love him?”  
  
“SAM…” She wasn’t sure she could answer that right then.  
  
“If I may,” the AI continued. “I have asked Mr. Vidal this same question in regards to yourself.”  
  
“You what?” Sara stood, her eyes darting around the room because she needed to glare at SAM in that moment.  
  
“You prohibited any questions posed to you about Mr. Vidal, however, no such restriction was placed on posing such inquiries to Mr. Vidal himself.”  
  
Sara shook her head, amazed. Her weaselly AI had found a loophole! Of course it had, she thought. Her father had created it. But then, Sara considered what SAM was telling her. She sat back down in the chair, her hands clutching at the arms in her anxiety.  
  
“What did he say?”  
  
“Mr. Vidal replied that he did not stop loving you after Ditaeon, but that his feelings no longer mattered since you did not reciprocate them.”  
  
Sara sat, shaking in the Charlatan’s chair, battling the sting of tears behind her eyes. “Why are you telling me this?” She whispered.  
  
“You were happier when you were with Mr. Vidal,” SAM said. “Happier than you were with Mr. Kosta, and happier than you are now.” Another moment of still quiet, before the AI continued. “You are… important to me, Sara. I am uncertain, but I believe I could call you my friend. Do not friends help each other achieve happiness?”  
  
There was no fighting the tears after that speech. It had been a long twenty-four hours, and every emotion from the past day came to a boiling head as SAM told her the one thing she’d really wanted to know since Reyes had boarded the Tempest over three weeks ago.  
  
He still cared about her.  
  
Once her tears calmed into two delicate streaks down her face, she took up her spinning again, wondering what the hell she was going to do. She sighed. “Thank you, SAM.”  
  
“You are welcome, Sara.”  
  
She wiped at her face, ridding the evidence of her emotions from her cheeks. And then the door to the bioloab opened. She spun to see Reyes pause in the doorway, surprised by her presence. She smirked at him.  
  
“You and the Quarian Pathfinder have a nice chat?”  
  
His face was artfully blank as he approached his desk. “We did,” he said, reaching for the pill bottle on the desk with his right hand. He hissed with pain before switching to his left.  
  
Sara raised an eyebrow at him. “What did you two talk about?”  
  
He glanced at her, and then knocked back the painkiller. “I was… curious about the dangers Andromeda poses to someone with no immune system.”  
  
She smiled. “Reyes.” His name fell from her lips in a song, her heart warm with appreciation for the man. “Did you threaten the Quarian Pathfinder for me?”  
  
He looked at her, exaggerated shock on his face. “Ryder,” he said with a smirk. “I would never do that.”  
  
She chuckled. “Why don’t I believe you?”  
  
He grinned, and the open warmth in his eyes felt like sitting by a fire after hours away on Voeld. “Because I’m lying, of course.”  
  
He’d leaned down toward her slightly, his weight perched on his left hand on the desk. He was so close, so warm, and Sara had to look away from those eyes before they bored through her. She made the mistake of glancing at his mouth, and she licked her lips instinctively.   
  
When she looked back up at him, he searched her face, hunting for her disapproval, seeking out even the tiniest glimmer of doubt in her eyes. But, she knew there was none to be found.  
  
His good hand darted out to palm the back of her head, pulling her lips up to meet his as he ducked down to her. He tasted as good as she remembered, fresh and warm, though she missed the smoky heat of whiskey on his tongue. And she’d drank the last of it the night before. She’d have to remind Vetra to get some next time they resupplied.  
  
He pulled her to her feet, and spun to press her ass against the desk, never once breaking their kiss. His tongue glided along her bottom lip, sending a thrill of shivers down her spine and pulling a tiny gasp from her throat.   
  
He moaned against her, and wrapped his left arm around her waist to lift her up onto the desk. Her thighs parted automatically, begging him to press closer, to erase any distance between them. The flush of his body on hers after so long apart sent thunderous heat low into her belly, building in tight coils.   
  
His left hand ducked under her shirt, and the firm grip of his fingers on her ribs as he held her to him made her pull her bottom lip between her teeth. Sara’s head fell back, her back arching to graze her breasts against his chest. Reyes’ mouth was on her neck, roving to explore every inch of skin that her tank top left bare.  
  
“Reyes,” she breathed. Her mind hazed with the heat of him, the heady scent of his aftershave, the hint of salt on his skin.   
  
“Sarita,” he whispered, before his mouth found hers again. There was no hesitation between them, no uncertainty as their tongues tangled and clashed, desperate to reestablish the rhythms they’d known so well only a year ago.   
  
And then her mind latched on to one important thought. She placed her hand flat on his chest, and applied enough pressure for him to pull back and look at her.  
  
“Wait,” she panted. She ran her hand through her wild hair, trying to regain her wits.   
  
His brow pulled low over the molten gold of his eyes. “What’s wrong?” His voice was low and rough with desire.   
  
She groaned and let her forehead fall into his chest. “We can’t do this.”  
  
He went still, his back rigid as his breathing stopped for a second. And then his right hand came up to brush her hair back behind one ear, the fingers careful and feathery as they grazed her cheek. “Why not?”  
  
She looked up as his words strangled in his throat. He watched her with guarded eyes, steeling himself for some new hurt she would unleash on him. But he was surprised when her hands came up to cup his face.   
  
“Scott bet that we’d sleep together within two days,” she said.  
  
Reyes stared at her for a moment, his eyes wide, and then laughed.   
  
Sara smiled at him, her own laughter bubbling in her chest.  
  
“Is that all?” He asked, still amused.   
  
She shrugged. “Mostly,” she said. “Though, we should probably talk about things.”  
  
He watched her, his smile wavering just slightly at the corners. But, he nodded. “We should. There’s much to discuss.”  
  
She nodded, and then pushed him back enough to hop down off the desk. “Besides,” she said, grinning up at him. “I need to shower.”  
  
He groaned. “You’re evil,” he whispered, before capturing her mouth with his own one more time.   
  
Their tongues clashed again, and Sara felt herself getting swept up in him all over again. How had she ever thought she could resist the magnetism of Reyes Vidal? He was gravity, a black hole, the shore that constantly pulled her back to him, no matter how far she strayed.   
  
She pressed her hand to his chest, ending their kiss. “I’ll see you later.”  
  
He searched her face again, a dark flicker of doubt in his eyes before he squelched it. “Later,” he agreed with a nod.  
  
She smiled softly, and then hurried from the room before she threw herself into his arms, her brother’s bet be damned.


	20. Distraction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you everyone for all your comments and kudos on the last chapter! I'm sorry for the gap in posts, but I'm getting a bit of breathing room written up again, so hopefully the chapters will keep coming!

Sara stopped by her quarters to get a change of clothes before her shower. It was only mid-afternoon, but it had been a long day preceded by a long and tumultuous night; she was exhausted. Maybe she could take a nap after she cleaned up.  
  
But, the universe seemed unwilling to cooperate with her.  
  
When Sara stepped back out into the hall Laela’Vaar was waiting outside her door, pacing and wringing her hands, mumbling to herself. The Quarian looked up at the sound of the door opening.  
  
“Pathfinder,” she said. Her voice trilled pleasantly, soft and hesitant. “I hoped I might speak with you before we left.”  
  
“Why haven’t you already?” Sara asked, surprised that Gil wasn’t rushing them off the ship so he could get his hands dirty on that shuttle.  
  
“Your brother and the turian, Vetra?” She paused, in case she needed correcting, but continued when Sara didn’t speak. “They are gearing up now to escort us.”  
  
Sara nodded, trying not to think about the fact that her underwear were on the top of the stack of clothes she held. She hadn’t been prepared to see anyone on the short trip to the showers. “What about the Pathfinder?”  
  
Laela shook her head. “He went on ahead,” she replied, her voice thick with disapproval.  
  
“Is that wise?” Her team had done a thorough job of clearing their route to the Pathfinder’s shuttle, but that didn’t mean reinforcements hadn’t arrived.  
  
“It was wiser to let him go,” the Quarian said. “There’s no reasoning with him lately.”  
  
Sara snorted. “That’s an understatement.”  
  
“This is what I would like to speak with you about.” She gestured at the door. “May we speak in private?”  
  
Sara shrugged. “Sure.” She turned and opened the door, inviting the Quarian to enter first.  
  
“Thank you, Ryder,” she said once the door closed behind them.  
  
Sara set her clothes on the bed and then turned to look at Laela. “What’s this about?”  
  
“I would beg you to be patient with our Pathfinder,” she said.  
  
Sara ran a hand through her hair. “I’m trying,” she said. “I’m afraid I’m not a very patient person.”  
  
“Joh’Zolan isn’t either,” Laela said, almost wistfully. “He has always been stubborn and easily angered, but ever since his son died he has been…” she paused as she searched for the right word. “A boshtet.”  
  
Sara barked a surprised laugh, but she sobered quickly. “What happened to his son?”  
  
“Tael’Zolan was a member of the Pathfinder team,” she said, her voice flat as she spoke of her deceased colleague. “His suit ruptured during an assault on a Kett military compound just over a month ago. Beyond the wound, infection set in, and we were not equipped to combat it.” She looked down at her feet. “The loss of my cousin has been keenly felt.”  
  
“Cousin?” Sara stared at Laela’Vaar. “You’re the Pathfinder’s niece?”  
  
“Yes,” she said. “My mother was Joh’Zolan’s sister.”  
  
Sara frowned, her brow low over her eyes. “I thought it was illegal for quarians to have more than one child.”  
  
Laela nodded. “It is. That’s why my family joined the Initiative. Joh’Zolan and my mother bore the stigma of their parents’ decisions. Anyone bearing the name Zolan could never have a command in the Flotilla, no matter their successes.”  
  
“But your name is Vaar.”  
  
There was humor in her voice when she replied. “My mother married, gladly taking my father’s family name. But, they both died in an accident when I was a child. Joh’Zolan raised me.”  
  
Sara considered the woman before her. “Then I’m sorry for your loss. I couldn’t imagine losing my brother.”  
  
Laela nodded. “It has been… difficult,” she said. “And made no easier by Joh’s refusal to deal with his own grief.” Frustration thickened her accent as she continued. “He seems to think there will be time to grieve Tael after we’ve found a home for the colonists. He’s thrown himself into his work, but he’s getting sloppy, taking unnecessary risks.”  
  
Sara sighed. Of course she would turn out to have something so profound in common with the Pathfinder. “Do you think he’d be open to sitting down with our doctor? She’s the ship psychologist as well as our physician.”  
  
“I doubt it,” the quarian replied. “I was hoping you might speak with him. Not as Pathfinders, but as someone who must shoulder much responsibility while coping with death.”  
  
Sara laughed, but it was a bitter sound. “I’m not the best role model,” she admitted. “My coping methods include getting blind drunk and sleeping my way through the cluster.”  
  
Laela’Vaar stared at her for a moment, and Sara was pretty sure she’d at least shocked _this_ quarian into silence. “You’re being serious,” she said after a moment.  
  
“Unfortunately.”  
  
“Keelah,” she breathed. “I don’t know what else to do. He will not speak to me about it.”  
  
Sara sighed. After her conversation with the Pathfinder, and whatever had happened between him and Reyes, she’d be lucky if he ever spoke to her again. Let alone speak to her about something so painfully personal as the loss of a son.  
  
But, she was the Pathfinder. She helped people, no matter how trivial or impossible the task seemed.  
  
“I’ll see what I can do, she said. “I don’t know if it will help, but I’ll try.”  
  
Laela looked up at Sara, her eyes shining from behind her mask. “Thank you, Pathfinder,” she said. “Truly.”  
  
She nodded and tried to give the quarian a confident smile. “Now, get back to the cargo bay before Gil has a fit.”  
  
Laela’Vaar chuckled. “He is quite animated, isn’t he?”  
  
Sara picked up her stack of clothes and headed back out the door, Laela following her. “That’s one way of putting it,” she said, rolling her eyes.  
  
“Goodbye, Ryder,” Laela said as they paused outside the bathroom. “We’ll see each other again soon.”  
  
“Keelah se’lai,” Sara said.  
  
Laela inclined her hooded head. “Keelah se’lai, Pathfinder.”  
  
She watched the young quarian walk away, and then hurried into the bathroom before anyone else could make demands on her time.  
  
  


Reyes was surprised to feel his omnitool vibrate with a call as he sat in the galley, picking at the salad he’d found in the fridge. It took all his efforts not to think about Sara, just across the hall from him, under the hot, pounding stream of water in the shower.  
  
“Keema,” he said through a mouthful of lettuce. “Why are you calling?”  
  
She scowled at him, her face taking on strange angles and shadows in the flickering orange of the slightly unstable vidcall. “Good to see you too, Reyes.”  
  
“Business or pleasure?” He asked.  
  
“A little of both,” she answered. “Are you alone?”  
  
“For now,” he said. “Although I have a sneaking suspicion that SAM might be listening.”  
  
“I listen to all conversations on the Tempest, Mr. Vidal.” The AI didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with that. “However, I do not record unless directed to.”  
  
“That’s comforting,” Keema drawled, rolling her large eyes.  
  
“Was that sarcasm, Ms. Dohrgun?”  
  
“Polite, too,” she laughed.  
  
“Why are you calling, Keema?” Two years ago this sort of behavior would have set his heart pounding and his mind racing to solve whatever problem she brought to him. But, these days Keema’s calls were almost purely social. She looked out for him, like a big sister. A very determined and annoying big sister.  
  
“I just want to see how you’re doing,” she said, feigning hurt at his tone. “Your emails have been so scant lately.” She grinned at him. “Has the Pathfinder been keeping you busy?”  
  
“It’s a dangerous cluster,” he said. “Someone has to watch her back.” He took another bite of his salad, and once his mouth was full SAM decided to add his two cents.  
  
“The Pathfinder has been quite busy in Alcaeus. However, Mr. Vidal has not yet been returned to active duty since his injury.”  
  
Reyes winced.  
  
“What injury?” Keema growled, glaring at Reyes.  
  
He shrugged. “It’s nothing,” he said once he swallowed his bite of lettuce.  
  
“Mr. Vidal suffered a compound fracture to his right ulna as well as several smaller fractures to his pisiform and lunate during an away mission.”  
  
“I don’t know much about human anatomy, but that sounds bad,” she said, the worry coloring her voice.  
  
“It’s nothing,” he promised. “I’m fine.”  
  
“Mr. Vidal is healing quite well, and the surgery was very successful.”  
  
“Surgery?” Keema shrieked. “You had to have surgery and didn’t tell me?”  
  
“I’m fine, Keema,” he promised again in his most soothing voice. He glared around the galley. “Don’t you have someone else to bother, SAM?”  
  
“I am currently assisting Dr. T’Perro with Ms. B’Sayle’s and Mr. Ama Darav’s post-mission check ups. Mr. Brodie, Scott, and Ms. Nyx are currently off ship, and I am coordinating their efforts as well as offering assistance to Mr. Brodie when requested. Mr. Kosta is sleeping, and I am facilitating a competitive round of what Dr. Anwar calls ‘Never Have I Ever: Scientist Edition’ between herself and Mr. Jath.”  
  
“Huh,” Reyes said, surprised at all the various functions SAM could perform at once.  
  
“Efficient,” Keema said, impressed.  
  
“After your encounter in the biolab, Sara requested privacy for the duration of her shower,” the AI added.  
  
Reyes blinked, and then he actually blushed. The last thing he needed was the mental image of Sara touching herself in the shower, most likely using him as inspiration. The second to last thing he needed was for Keema to discover that things might be heating up between himself and the Pathfinder again. He set his fork down and groaned.  
  
“Oh,” Keema laughed. “I like him!”  
  
“Likewise, Ms. Dohrgun.”  
  
“Go away SAM!” Reyes barked, running careful fingers through his hair.  
  
There was a moment as they waited for SAM to speak again, but the AI was silent.  
  
“Care to explain that to me?” Keema cooed. “Are you and the Pathfinder…?”  
  
“It’s complicated,” he said, avoiding her gaze.  
  
“Are you having an affair?” Her tone was dark. She knew he wasn’t above it, but that didn’t mean she would approve of such behavior.  
  
“No!” He snapped. “Liam broke up with her last night.”  
  
“And you’ve already had an ‘encounter’?”  
  
Reyes glared at the flickering orange image of his lieutenant. “Two,” he added irritably.  
  
Keema crowed with laughter, but a glance from him brought it down to a chuckle. “You’re hopeless,” she said.  
  
He cleared his throat. “What was this business you called about.”  
  
She eyed him, but the effect was diminished over the unstable call. “We will talk about this later,” she threatened. “We’ve heard back from the asari Pathfinder.”  
  
Reyes frowned. “That was fast.”  
  
“She wants to meet the lieutenant in charge of the cell she’d be coordinating with.”  
  
Reyes sighed. “Of course she does.”  
  
“Do we give her the coordinates for the Elaaden base?”  
  
“No,” he said sharply. Kalla Pok was in charge of the cell that had found the ark in the first place. She would take charge in their newest endeavors. The problem with Sarissa’s insistence on meeting the lieutenant was that she was based out of the Oblivion manufacturing plant on Elaaden, where Wreav was in charge. Reyes shook his head; he knew Pok and Wreav’s attachment to one another would complicate things eventually.  
  
He skimmed his omnitool, searching for a safe house he could use for a meeting place. He found one to his liking and forwarded the coordinates to Keema. “About thirty clicks east of New Tuchanka is a small cave system. It has basic supplies and terminals for skeleton operations. Pok has two days to get it up and running.”  
  
“A front?”  
  
“We can’t have the Pathfinder trolling through our Oblivion factory, now can we?”  
  
Keema grinned. “What about security? This could be a trap.”  
  
“Wreav goes where Pok goes,” he said with a shrug. “Give him permission to take a couple of his krantt with him. Sarissa’s powerful, but she’s smart. She’ll think twice before she engages three or more krogan.” He took a bit of his salad. “Anything else?”  
  
“Hayjer is in,” she said. “He didn’t need anything more than our partnership with Ryder and the memory of your dashing efforts at Meridian to make the call.” She grinned at him.  
  
Reyes smiled. “And Rix?”  
  
She shook her head. “Haven’t heard from him yet, but word on the Nexus is that he’s been relatively silent the last few weeks.”  
  
That wasn’t incredibly unusual for the turian Pathfinder. His Spectre training meant he preferred to work alone or with a small team, and he didn’t like it when leadership kept too close an eye on him.  
  
“Work on locating him,” Reyes said. “But don’t approach. He has to respond to us.”  
  
Keema nodded her understanding. “Now that’s taken care of,” she grinned. “Tell me more about these ‘encounters’.”  
  
The door to the galley slid open, revealing Peebee and Jaal.  
  
“Sorry, Keema,” Reyes said, smirking. “I’ve got to go.”  
  
“Don’t think this conversation is over, Vida-” she threatened, but he ended the call.  
  
“Ooooh,” Peebee said, plopping down onto the bench beside him. “Did we interrupt?” Her grin made it plain that she hoped that was the case.  
  
“Not at all,” he replied.  
  
Peebee scowled at him, and then at Jaal as he slid a small salad her way. “I’m sick of salad,” she pouted.  
  
“Scott is making grunion roast tomorrow,” the angara answered, sitting down to his own bowl of lettuce.  
  
Peebee snorted. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?” She turned her green eyes on Reyes. “Aren’t you some sort of kitchen wizard? Why don’t you ever make dinner?”  
  
“Where’d you hear that?” He asked.  
  
Peebee grinned, her eyes bright with mischief. “Ryder maybe told Vetra that you cooked her some fancy meal once.”  
  
He watched the asari carefully, confident that if he kept silent she would keep talking. He wanted to know how much the crew knew about their relationship.  
  
“Something about stewed meat and peppers,” she added.  
  
“And some Terran delicacy,” Jaal said over his salad. “French fries?”  
  
Reyes laughed. He wasn’t sure french fries counted as a delicacy, but Lomo Saltado did in his book; he was hungry just thinking about it.  
  
“Could you make it for us?” Peebee asked, wide-eyed and pleading.  
  
He shook his head. “We don’t have any of the ingredients, sadly.” He smirked. “Plus, have you seen the price of beef lately?”  
  
Peebee shrugged. “Just use adhi.”  
  
He stared at her. “’Just use adhi’? You don’t know how much that wounds me.”  
  
“Fine,” she grumbled. “When we get back to Heleus, then?” She asked. “Not like you’re going anywhere.”  
  
“And what makes you think that?”  
  
“Pelessaria,” Jaal said, his deep voice full of warning.  
  
She ignored him, rolling her eyes at Reyes. “C’mon,” she said. “Now that Ryder’s free keeping you two off each other is going to be impossible.”  
  
“It’s not that simple,” he said carefully.  
  
“Sure it is,” she said, her voice bright and cheerful. She waved her fingers at him. “You can do all your Charlatan stuff from the biolab, right?” She shrugged. “That was the complication last time.”  
  
If only that were true. The ‘complication’ had been his inability to understand what ‘big stuff’ was to Ryder. He’d tried, but it wasn’t enough. He wasn’t sure how they were going to overcome that hurdle this time, or if they even could.  
  
“She is over-simplifying,” Jaal said. “But she has a point.”  
  
Peebee stuck her tongue out at Jaal, but he only smirked in response.  
  
“The love between you and Sara is palpable,” the angara continued.  
  
Reyes choked on his salad.  
  
Jaal grinned. “It is why Liam let her go. It is only a matter of time before you both realize it.” The angara eyed him carefully. “Perhaps, don’t wait too long?”  
  
Reyes looked between the two of them in shock, and then scowled. “I can’t believe you two,” he said. “You’re trying to win your bet!”  
  
Jaal bellowed, his head thrown back in open mirth as Peebee sighed irritably, her chin in her hand.  
  
“It was worth a shot,” she grumbled.  
  
  


Sara sighed with contentment as she settled into her mattress; it looked like she was going to get that nap after all. And after a long shower, and a little special attention she’d been neglecting, she was relaxed enough that she knew she’d fall asleep quickly for once.  
  
She was drifting somewhere just before sleep, amber eyes under dark brows floating in her mind’s eye, when a knock came at her door.  
  
“Dr. T’Perro is requesting permission to enter, Ryder.”  
  
Sara groaned. She should have known she couldn’t avoid this conversation. “Let her in, SAM.”  
  
“Ryder,” Lexi said as she stepped into the room. The doctor was looking at her omnitool, and was surprised when she looked up to see the Pathfinder in bed. “Are you all right?”  
  
Sara sighed. “I’m just tired, Lex.”  
  
Lexi smiled softly, the corners of her gray eyes crinkling. “It has been a rough twenty-four hours, hasn’t it?”  
  
“Yeah,” she mumbled as she sat up. “Let’s get this over with.”  
  
Lexi frowned at her as she approached the bed. “You could have just come to me right away,” she admonished. “We could have had this out of the way and you could be sleeping right now.”  
  
Sara shrugged. “Since when do I make anything easy?”  
  
Lexi grumbled something under her breath as she started scanning from her omnitool. “SAM said you pushed the biotics again,” she said.  
  
“Tattle-tale,” Sara griped.  
  
“Ensuring your physical and mental wellbeing are critical to my own survival, Sara.”  
  
“Not to mention a key component of his programming,” Lexi added. She frowned at her omnitool, and then dismissed the screen. “Any headaches, chills, or signs of fever?” She asked, her cold hands pressing at the sides of Sara’s neck, just below her ears.  
  
“No chills or fever,” she replied. “I had a bit of a headache when we first got back, behind my right eye, but it’s better now.”  
  
The doctor tilted Sara’s head to get a better look at her amplifier port, and Sara started to worry.  
  
“Is everything okay, Lexi?”  
  
The asari pursed her lips, but released her ward’s head. “You need to be more cautious with your biotics. Stop pushing it so far,” she said. “Your nervous system can only handle so much.”  
  
“It’s my nervous system that allows me to push so hard,” she complained. “Would a better amp help?”  
  
Lexi snorted. “There is no better amp.”  
  
“Yet,” Sara said with a wicked grin. “If a higher performing amp could help, I know a guy.”  
  
Lexi sat on the bed beside Sara. “Speaking of Reyes,” she started.  
  
Sara groaned, flopping back onto the bed. “Not you too!”  
  
The doctor raised her hands in surrender. “I just want to know how you’re handling everything. We haven’t spoken since things ended with Liam.”  
  
“Because it was last night,” she complained. “This has been the longest day ever!”  
  
Lexi tapped a few commands into her omnitool. “I’ve made an appointment. Tomorrow afternoon we’ll meet and discuss some of the events of the past few days.”  
  
Sara groaned, but knew better than to argue when Lexi was in full-on Doctor mode. “All right.”  
  
Lexi smiled at her and pat her leg. “Get some rest, Ryder,” she said, and then she left the room.  
  
Sara sighed as she climbed back under the blankets, unsure that she would be able to fall back asleep, but as SAM dimmed the lights she felt a sudden sense of weightlessness in her limbs and a delicious numbness in her mind as her thoughts calmed.  
  
“SAM,” she said. “You’re helping me, aren’t you?”  
  
“Yes, Sara,” the AI replied. “Your biotic implant and nervous system require the rest. It will also benefit your mental state.”  
  
She hummed softly, feeling content for the first time in days. “Thanks, SAM,” she whispered to the room.  
  
“Of course, Sara,” the AI responded in her head. And then she slipped off into the blissful black of sleep.


	21. Simmer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you everyone for all your lovely, life-giving comments! I hope you enjoy some fluff, and I apologize in advance for my mediocre Spanish! Enjoy!

“Pathfinder,” SAM’s cool voice pulled her from her sleep. “Scott is attempting to reach you.”  
  
She moaned against her pillow, stretching tight muscles as she blinked into consciousness. “Yeah,” she mumbled, still half-asleep.  
  
“Sara?” Scott’s voice filtered through her omnitool.  
  
“I’m here,” she said, her voice thick and raspy with sleep.  
  
“Were you asleep?” He asked.  
  
“Yeah.” She rubbed at her eyes as she sat up. “What’s up?”  
  
“Just wanted you to know we’re on our way back.”  
  
“Did Gil get their shuttle going?”  
  
“Taking off as we speak,” he brother gloated.  
  
She smiled. “I knew he could do it.”  
  
“Never doubted him for a minute,” Scott said. “The Pathfinder forwarded coordinates to Kallo,” he continued. “Says it’s the safest system in the cluster.”  
  
“What for?” She stood and changed out of her leisure clothes, slipping on her three-quarter sleeve Initiative t-shirt and cargo pants.  
  
“He says he’s ready to talk whenever you are.”  
  
Sara froze, her pants halfway to her hips. “Huh,” she said, surprised.  
  
“Yeah,” Scott agreed. “Apparently fixing his shuttle impressed him.”  
  
Sara had good credits that Joh’Zolan’s sudden willingness to cooperate had more to do with his encounter with the Charlatan than it did with his newly repaired shuttle.  
  
“Your ETA?” She asked as she finished getting dressed.  
  
“Gil’s packing up now, so,” her brother paused to do the math. “Half an hour?”  
  
She nodded, though he couldn’t see the motion. “Be safe down there,” she said. “And Scott?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“Great job today. I know dealing with the Pathfinder and the potential Kett threat couldn’t have been easy.”  
  
There was a long pause, and she wondered if she’d over-stepped some unknown boundary by bringing up his issues with the kett. But she heard the grin in his voice when he finally responded.  
  
“Thanks, Sis. We’ll see you soon.” And then he closed the call.  
  
Sara ran a hand through her hair, and then threw it up into a messy bun as she stepped out into the hallway. Her stomach growled as she met with the strong aroma of garlic and something spicy. She glanced to her left to see the galley door was open, and heard a colorful stream of Spanish coming from within.  
  
She poked her head into the room to see Reyes standing at the counter, growling murderously at the knife in his left hand as he struggled to chop some garlic.  
  
“¡La madre que me parió!” He said. “No es tan difícil de usar un maldito cuchillo.”  
  
Sara leaned against the door frame, unable to keep the smile from creeping onto her face. “Need some help?”  
  
“¡Jesucristo!” He shouted as he spun to face her, the knife still in his hand. “No me sorprendas así. ¡Podría haberse cortado la maldita mano!” His face was flushed and his hair fell forward onto his forehead as he glared at her.  
  
She raised a sandy eyebrow at him and squelched a laugh behind pursed lips. “Was I supposed to understand any of that?”  
  
He looked at her for a moment, and took a deep breath before setting the knife back onto the cutting board. When he turned his attention back to her he seemed himself again. “Sorry,” he said, leaning against the counter. “I’m not used to struggling in the kitchen.”  
  
She stepped into the room, but was careful to keep some distance between them. “Would you like me to help?”  
  
He eyed her warily. “I might be better off with my left hand,” he said with a smirk.  
  
She scoffed. “Please,” she said, approaching the counter. “I can at least chop garlic.” She snatched the knife up and began chopping, willfully ignoring just how close their hips were. “What are we making?”  
  
“Pollo con arroz,” he said, tending to the chicken thighs that cooked in a pan of popping oil. “Lab grown,” he grouched as he flipped them with a fork. “Never as good as the real thing.”  
  
She smiled at his grumpiness. “Better than no meat at all.”  
  
He nodded and fell silent, the corners of his mouth pulled down into a little frown.  
  
Sara kept chopping, and once she finished with the garlic she moved on to the onion.  
  
“I always dreamed of raising my own one day.”  
  
“Your own what?”  
  
“Chickens,” he said with a shrug.  
  
She laughed, unable to stop the sound before it escaped her lips. He glanced up at her, and the vulnerability in his eyes stifled her. This was a confession, she realized, not some flippant remark. “Why?” She asked, turning her attention back to the onion. She wasn’t the best at slicing the vegetable, and he had to show her how a couple of times.  
  
“They’re versatile, and easy to keep,” he said with a shrug.  
  
“True,” she murmured. “Not really in keeping with the whole shadowy crime boss thing you’ve got going, though.” She was teasing, but the look on his face made it clear he wasn’t in the mood.  
  
He looked away from her as he removed the chicken from the pan. “I didn’t always want to be the Charlatan,” he said softly.  
  
“I know,” she said. And she meant it. She really did.  
  
He sighed, but seemed to shake some of the dark mood from his shoulders at her words. “When I first signed up with the Initiative, before the whole shit-show with the Nexus, I imagined settling Golden Worlds.” He snorted at the phrase. “I believed Jien Garson, and I thought the Initiative would be my fresh start. I thought I’d shuttle people around for a while before I squirreled enough credits away to claim a little space for my own.”  
  
She smiled at him, grateful for his sudden openness. She hadn’t known how much she’d missed his little revelations. “So you could raise chickens,” she said, bumping his hip with hers.  
  
He chuckled and cast her a sideways glance. “Among other things,” he added.  
  
She stared at him for a moment, and the shock must have shown, because he laughed.  
  
“Is that so surprising?”  
  
“Yes?” She said. She turned to the peppers, which were next in the stack of things to chop, to hide her blush. “We just… never talked about that before.”  
  
He shrugged. “It’s not something I’ve thought a lot about,” he admitted. “I’m not even certain I really want kids. But, I’m not morally opposed either.”  
  
She could feel the weight of his gaze on her face, and she pointedly refused to look up from her task.  
  
“Is that a problem?” His voice was so soft, she almost missed the words over the crunch of the pepper falling beneath the blade of her knife.  
  
She didn’t answer for a minute, finishing the particular vegetable she was on, before she sighed and looked up at him. “What are we doing here, Reyes?”  
  
He glanced around the galley. “Making dinner?”  
  
She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean,” she said. “This conversation.” She gestured between them with the knife. “Us.”  
  
His eyes followed the blade, and then flickered up to her face. “That depends,” he said.  
  
“On what?” She wanted to look away, to look back at the counter, but his eyes held her there.  
  
“On what you want.” His voice was just a whisper, as if he were frightened that the words would chase her away. As if she wasn’t desperate to know the same thing about him.  
  
She set the knife down and turned to face him. “It can’t all be up to me,” she said. “What do you want?” She scrubbed her hand down her face. “Is it just sex? Lord knows we both want it. Or are we picking up where we left off? If so, what are we going to do? Has anything even changed? Or are we starting over? If that’s the case, how do we even start? I-”  
  
“Sara,” he interrupted. “You’re rambling.”  
  
She blinked at him, and then smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”  
  
He watched her for a moment, and for once she couldn’t read the emotion that lurked behind his eyes, but it was warm. It gave her hope.  
  
She startled when he reached past her to dump the chopped garlic, onions, and peppers into the oiled pan. She watched him as he managed to flip the contents of the pan with a deft movement of his left hand, and then looked up at him when he cleared his throat.  
  
“You asked me what I wanted,” he said, still watching the vegetables cook. He took a deep breath. “Sara, I-”  
  
“What smells so good?” Peebee hollered as she marched into the galley.  
  
“Is this what french fries smell like?” Jaal asked from behind her.  
  
Scott laughed. “No Jaal, definitely not.”  
  
The angara frowned as he slid into the booth beside Peebee. As Scott followed suit he glanced at Sara, an eyebrow raised. She shrugged in reply. They had definitely interrupted, but judging from Reyes’ suddenly locked down expression, the moment was over.  
  
Scott frowned at her, and mouthed an apology. Then to the room he said, “what are we having?”  
  
Reyes smiled over his shoulder at the three in the booth. “Pollo con arroz.” The words flowed from his lips, so natural that they seemed to meld together. She was so used to hearing him speak English that she sometimes forgot it wasn’t his first language, but tonight had been a good reminder that there was still so much about Reyes that she didn’t know.  
  
And that she really wanted to.  
  
“I don’t suppose I’ll be able to eat that,” Vetra said as she glided into the room to sit at the table across from Peebee. Gil was hot on her heels, his red hair still damp from the shower.  
  
Reyes shook his head. “Sorry, Nyx. Dextro cooking is beyond me.”  
  
Gil grinned as he scooted into the booth to wrap an arm over Scott’s shoulder. “Don’t worry V, you’ll have that little quarian cooking for you in no time.”  
  
Sara watched in awe as Vetra’s mandible clicked with frustration.  
  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” the turian replied, but she wouldn’t meet Gil’s knowing smirk.  
  
“What did I miss down there?” Sara asked.  
  
Scott smiled and shook his head, allowing his boyfriend to share the details.  
  
“Just Vetra and Laela’Vaar flirting up a storm while I did all the hard work,” Gil said. “I think they even swapped omnitool frequencies.”  
  
Vetra glared at him then. “You are an incurable gossip,” she declared.  
  
Gil snorted. “Like you aren’t?”  
  
“She’s just more subtle about it,” Scott offered. “She stows the information until she can put it to the best use.”  
  
“Yeah,” Peebee said, grinning. “Gil just spews it everywhere for kicks.”  
  
Gil frowned. “Gossip is meant to be shared,” he said. “That’s what makes it gossip.”  
  
“Pathfinder,” SAM said aloud. “Mr. Jath has asked me to inform you that the Tempest is ready to disembark the planet.”  
  
She nodded. “Thanks, SAM. Let him know we’re heading for those coordinates Joh’Zolan gave us.”  
  
“Of course, Pathfinder.”  
  
“So, Vidal,” Peebee started. “What’s the occasion?”  
  
“Yeah,” Gil added. “You’ve been on the ship for weeks and never cooked once.”  
  
Sara crossed her arms and leaned back against the counter. “That’s a good point.”  
  
Reyes stirred the rice pointedly ignoring her glance. He shrugged as he put the lid back on the pot. “No occasion,” he said. “But there’s only so much uselessness a man can take.”  
  
“If the smell is any indication, we should keep you injured,” Scott joked.  
  
“Please don’t,” Lexi said as she joined the room. “Delicious as that smells, I’d prefer if everyone were healthy and able-bodied, thank you very much.  
  
“Oh,” Peebee said, the wicked grin on her face made Sara brace for impact. “I’m sure his body is quite able, right Ryder?”  
  
She blushed as her brother and Gil snickered, but before she could retort Reyes shot a glance over his shoulder at the asari.  
  
“I’d be happy to show you, Pelessaria,” he said with a wicked grin. “But I think Jaal might kill me.”  
  
The angara growled in confirmation, and it only served to deepen Peebee’s blush into a pleasant violet.  
  
Lexi rolled her eyes as she sat at the table beside Vetra. “I swear, the relationships on this ship are worse than a human soap opera.”  
  
Reyes chuckled. “You’ve obviously never watched a Peruvian telenovela.” He shook his head as he ladled rice onto a plate, and then added vegetables and chicken on top. “The Tempest’s various… trysts pale in comparison. Unfortunately.” He winked at Sara, making her blush even more.  
  
The room laughed again, and Kallo and Suvi chose that moment to join them. “What did we miss?” Suvi asked.  
  
“Nothing,” Sara assured them amid more chuckles. She busied herself with filling her own plate, refusing to meet the curious glances from her gathered crew.  
  
Reyes moved away from her to find a seat at the table. “Help yourselves,” he told the room. “There should be plenty for everyone.”  
  
Chairs screeched and the booth creaked as the room broke into chaos. Everyone but Vetra lined up to wait their turn for food, and Sara was careful to pick a spot that wasn’t too close to Reyes. As she sat, she noticed the guarded look in his eyes as he watched her, no doubt filing away the fact that she chose distance at that moment. He’d analyze the decision, try and squeeze any information from her action that he might be able to put to use.  
  
What people didn’t realize about Reyes was that he used his bravado and irritating swagger to mask just how closely he observed everything around him. He disarmed you with lewd humor and suggestions, so that he could pick you apart, strip you down to your barest bones so that he could strike you where it would hurt most if he needed to. Or so that he could bring a smile to your face with seeming ease.  
  
Peebee was right, Sara thought. Reyes was able-bodied, and blissfully easy on the eyes. But what she really liked about him was the intelligence he tried so hard to disguise, his quiet capability, and his well-earned confidence. All of which he hid behind a mask of easy going sex and ego.  
  
That mask had been missing over the last few weeks, made irrelevant by the strict boundaries they’d tried to abide by. He’d replaced it with something hard and defensive. But now, now their relationship was in flux again. The boundaries had been erased and yet to be redrawn, and so he fell back into the familiar face of Vidal the Smuggler. The man that had attracted her in the first place.  
  
“How’s the wrist?” Lexi asked as she sat at the table, a modest portion of pollo con arroz on her plate.  
  
Amber eyes flickered to her before meeting the asari’s. “Fine,” he said after he swallowed his bite of food.  
  
Sara smirked, sensing her chance to get back at him a little. “Are you sure?” She asked innocently. “You seemed a little sore after your talk with the Pathfinder.”  
  
Lexi looked between them as Reyes glared at Sara. “What did I tell you about using your brace as a battering ram?” Lexi chastised. “It’s not an augmentation to be used however you see fit.”  
  
Sara frowned. “Has this happened before?”  
  
Lexi gaped at her as Reyes scowled at his plate. “Oh. No,” the doctor said. “It just, bears repeating.” She shrugged. “You know Vidal,” she sighed hopelessly. The asari focused back on her plate until Suvi sat beside her. The two quickly fell into scientific chatter that left Sara exhausted just listening to it.  
  
The table filled with conversation as the crew sat to enjoy their meals. Sara took her first bite and had to bite back a moan of pleasure. She knew Reyes was a great cook, but her taste buds had forgotten just how good. She looked up from her plate to find him watching her, his amber eyes molten as he took in her pleased expression.  
  
“I’m glad you like it, Ryder,” he murmured, his tone carefully cool even as his eyes stoked a fire in her.  
  
“Now I know why you haven’t cooked yet,” Scott said from further down the table. “You’ll never get out of the chore now!”  
  
Reyes shrugged. “I’m all right with that,” he said. “As long as you’re willing to do the dishes, Scott.”  
  
Her twin groaned and the room filled with warm laughter.  
  
“No way Scott cooked tonight,” Liam announced as he stepped into the room. His brown eyes were still heavy with sleep, but there was a soft smile on his lips. “I can’t smell anything burnt.” His voice was huskier than usual, but Sara figured it was just from his nap.  
  
“Hey,” Scott defended, but Gil put one hand on the man’s shoulder.  
  
“He’s got a point, babe.”  
  
“I didn’t burn anything last time,” he argued.  
  
“That’s because I turned the oven temperature down when you weren’t looking,” Reyes said.  
  
More laughter, and even Liam was chuckling as he sat at the table beside Reyes. Sara raised a brow at them, surprised at their proximity. They glanced at each other, then at Lexi before shrugging. Sara squinted at the men, knowing she had missed something, but didn’t want to bring it up in front of the entire crew.  
  
“I’m not that bad,” Scott said, refusing to let the subject go.  
  
The room fell silent, no one willing to break it to the man that, actually, he _was_ that bad.  
  
“Even you?” He asked Gil, his jaw hanging in shock.  
  
The engineer choked on a forkful of rice. He coughed a couple times, clearing his throat. “You make great coffee,” he said. “And you haven’t burnt the toast in ages.” Gil shrank slightly before the exaggerated hurt in Scott’s blue eyes. “I love you?”  
  
Scott turned back to his plate. “You can make your own breakfast,” he grumbled, stabbing at the chicken with his fork.  
  
As Gil tried to salvage his boyfriend’s confidence, the room fell into easy conversations as they all finished their dinner. Sara felt at ease for the first time in weeks. After the addition of the Charlatan, her crew was happy and finally getting along like the family they were. Even Reyes and Liam had found some common ground in discussing their hopes to establish soccer teams in Heleus.  
  
She smiled as Reyes glanced up to find her eyes on him, and he sent a tentative one of his own her way. In that moment, surrounded by her ragtag family, Sara could almost convince herself that maybe things weren’t so complicated after all. Maybe they could pick up where they left off, and finally put all this tension behind them.  
  
Maybe.


	22. Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you everyone for your lovely comments! Sorry this took so long, but I promise you'll like it!

It was a two day flight to get to Joh’Zolan’s coordinates, and while the first day had gone quickly enough, absorbed by a check-up with Lexi and directing Collective communications with the Heleus Pathfinders, the second day dragged on. The fact that he and Sara were carefully avoiding any physical contact only heightened the sense of waiting. Waiting to reach the Quarian Pathfinder’s safe cluster, waiting to have their big discussion about what they wanted.  
  
And what did he want? When she’d asked him that night in the galley, his immediate response had been, ‘anything you’re willing to give me’. If she wanted to pick up the pieces they’d scattered to the wind that night in Ditaeon, he would stoop down and do the hard work to reassemble them. If she wanted to start fresh, though he doubted that could really work, he would put his skills to good use and plan his every step, careful to avoid the pitfalls he’d stumbled through last time. And, if she just wanted sex, well that was another set of skills he was more than happy to employ.  
  
But she was right. It shouldn’t just be her decision, no matter how desperately he wanted any sort of relationship with her. So, he spent the bulk of the second day nursing bottles of beer and trying to interpret his own tangled web of wants and needs.  
  
Finally, well into the evening, Reyes felt that he’d come as close to understanding his own desires as he could. There was only so much soul-searching a man could do in one day, but he didn’t think he could handle another day of unknowns, not when he was still two weeks out from being cleared for duty and Sara had an ark to save. The risks were too high to be uncertain.  
  
“SAM?”  
  
“Yes, Mr. Vidal?”  
  
Reyes finished an email to Keema, and then shut down his terminals. “Is the Pathfinder busy at the moment?”  
  
“She is in engineering, discussing reports of the Keelah Si’yah’s required repairs with Mr. Brodie and Scott.”  
  
“Oh,” Reyes replied. That was an important discussion, one he probably shouldn’t intrude on.  
  
“However, Ryder is exhibiting signs of irritation,” SAM continued. “Symptoms include increased blood pressure, rapid pulse, slight temperature increase, and nervous energy manifested in toe-tapping and running her hands through her hair.”  
  
Reyes smirked. “So what you’re saying is that she could use a distraction.”  
  
“While not ideal for her meeting with Joh’Zolan, I do believe such an interruption would benefit the Pathfinder’s overall mood, yes,” the AI said.  
  
That was all the confirmation Reyes needed. He spun out of his chair, not bothering to put on his shoes, and padded down to engineering. As he approached he noticed Sara standing with her back to the glass, in her typical tank top and leggings. Gil and Scott leaned against the railing across from her, the engineer talking animatedly and gesturing with his hands. Only the male Ryder twin noticed him as he leaned in the doorway to listen to the conversation.  
  
“They don’t have the resources or personnel for those types of repairs,” Sara said, her tone suggesting it wasn’t the first time she’d used that particular piece of logic on the Tempest’s engineer.  
  
“Some of these are minor fixes,” Gil argued, smacking the back of his hand to the screen of the datapad he held.  
  
“Minor to you,” she reminded him. “This is Zoldat and Xanthe we’re talking about,” she said. “They’re assassins, not mechanics.”  
  
“Any idiot with a wrench can fix a detached ion coupling!”  
  
Reyes had to agree with that, it was a very basic issue, one that any mechanic worth a damn could remedy in seconds. He shrugged when Scott glanced at him for confirmation of his boyfriend’s point. It seemed her brother was undecided on whose side to take in this particular argument.  
  
“Well,” Sara growled. “Since I don’t even know what an ion coupling is, I’m going to guess that they don’t either.” She glared at him. “Which means they don’t know how to fix it.”  
  
“There are thousands of Quarians on that ark,” Gil snapped. “Wake one up that can do the damn job.”  
  
“With what resources?”  
  
Gil glared at her, finally cowed, and Sara sighed.   
  
“We’ll see what Joh’Zolan has to say on the matter,” she said. “But I’m going to suggest we wait for additional Nexus support.”  
  
Reyes cleared his throat, startling Sara and earning an irritated glare from Gil. “On that note, perhaps I could intrude?” He raised a dark eyebrow at the room and shrugged. “I might be able to help.”  
  
“Oh?”   
  
How Sara managed to pack so much suspicion into a simple sound, he had no idea. Reyes decided to ignore it, for now. “At Vetra’s suggestion,” he said, entering the room to stand between Sara and her brother. “The Collective is taking steps to help the Pathfinders in mapping the scourge in Alcaeus.”  
  
Sara narrowed her eyes at him. “Why didn’t I hear about this sooner?”  
  
It should have been a simple thing to slip the mask of the Charlatan into place as he looked at her; this was business after all. But, her suspicion and displeasure struck a chord in him, an unpleasant one that reverberated with memories of a Kadaran night, and a breeze playing with a sandy brown ponytail that had been so much shorter then.  
  
But if she noticed the fleeting hurt on his face before the mask slid into place, she didn’t show it. He shrugged. “I only heard back from Rix late last night.”  
  
She crossed her arms. “And just how will the Collective help the Initiative in Alcaeus?”  
  
“We found the ark using a sophisticated array of probes and buoys,” he said, stepping closer to her as he pulled up a file on his omnitool. This was the part he’d left out of his conversation with Vetra. “Launching them accurately was the hardest part,” he continued. “But, using the Pathfinder ships to deploy them will speed up the process considerably.”  
  
Sara leaned in to read over the schematics for Pok’s probe design, and judging from how quickly her eyes flitted over the information, she trusted his word on this.  
  
It was Scott’s turn to play the skeptic as he crossed his arms. “You’re saying the Collective has better probes than the Nexus?”  
  
Reyes rolled his eyes. “Why does everyone always doubt me when I say we have better tech?”  
  
Sara smirked. “It’s because you keep that big brain of yours so well hidden behind a mask of dirty looks and even dirtier jokes.”  
  
He smirked back at her. “C’mon, Ryder,” he teased. “You know you like my jokes. The dirtier, the better.”  
  
Gil laughed, and the sound seemed to jostle Sara a little. She frowned and hunkered down into her position, arms crossed and shoulders low.   
  
“So, you help us get the Keelah home that much sooner,” she said. “What’s in it for you?”  
  
Reyes dismissed the intel he’d shared via his omnitool, using the movement to pull his eyes from her face. “Some good-will from the Initiative,” he said. “It can never hurt to better cement our alliance.”  
  
“Alliance?” Scott asked. “I think leadership would agree with me when I say that’s a strong term for your relationship with the Nexus.”  
  
Reyes nodded. “It is. But it’s one I hope we can use soon.” He took a risk and glanced at Sara, surprised to see confusion on her face. Did she not know of Addison’s displeasure? Of Tann’s possible duplicity in this matter? Did she not know the ambitions of the leadership she took her orders from?  
  
He cleared his throat. “What I would further propose,” he inclined his head to the Pathfinder. “If you’re amenable, is a contingent of Collective engineers, to expedite ark repairs. They could find transport on the Pathfinders’ ships.”  
  
She watched him for a careful moment, her eyes searching his face. But his mask was in place; all she would find was the carefully neutral expression of the Charlatan.  
  
“You’re asking my permission?”  
  
“This is your mission,” he said. “I won’t deploy operatives without your approval.”  
  
She scowled at him. “You know Nexus security will scan the ark upon initiating docking protocols. They’ll find anything your engineers might… leave behind.”  
  
He chuckled and shook his head. “I’ve already got my eyes and ears in the Initiative, Pathfinder. I don’t need to bug the Keelah Si’yah.” He could tell she wanted to argue the point, to point out that he hadn’t said he wouldn’t bug the ark, just that he didn’t need too, but she shut down the pointless argument in her mind, her lips pressed into a thin line.  
  
“All right,” she said with a curt nod. “If the Pathfinders are willing to bring them, send your engineers.” She sighed. “The Keelah needs all the help she can get.”  
  
Reyes pulled up his omnitool, sending the pre-typed message to Keema. “I should have confirmation of orders delivered no later than tomorrow night,” he said. “As long as the Pathfinders agree, that is.”   
  
He was confident they would, or at least that Hayjer and Rix would. Sarissa was still skeptical of the Collective’s intentions, which made sense. After the revelation of the circumstances of the original Asari Pathfinder’s death, she couldn’t afford the backlash of another decision blowing up in her face. But, if he treated her with respect and patience, he was certain she’d come around to his way of thinking eventually.  
  
Sara sighed, pulling the Charlatan from his thoughts as she ran a hand through her long hair. “Well,” she started, turning her attention back to Gil. “Now that’s all settled, are you satisfied?”  
  
The engineer grunted, eying Reyes uncertainly. “I’m not sure how qualified these engineers are,” he said. “But it’s better than two incompetent drell poking their way through the ark with a screwdriver.”  
  
Reyes chuckled. “My engineers are more than capable,” he said. “Though I admit, the best in Heleus was taken.” He winked at the man, and laughed as Scott made an exaggerated gagging sound.  
  
“All right,” the male Ryder twin said as he stood. “That’s enough of that.” He shooed Sara and Reyes from the room. “If we’re meeting with Joh’Zolan tomorrow, I need a full night’s sleep.” He caught his twin’s eye, and Reyes swore he saw a mischievous glint in the pale blue irises. “You should too,” he told her, pointing at her as if the gesture would convince her to obey.  
  
She rolled her eyes at him. “Yes, Mother,” she sang as she walked away.  
  
Scott grumbled something about surrounding himself with stubborn people, and then disappeared back into engine core. Reyes took a few long strides to catch up with Sara, slowing as he drew even with her in the hall.  
  
“Sara,” he murmured. He pulled at her arm gently, stopping her. “Can we talk?”  
  
She shrugged out of his grip. “That depends,” she said. “Who will I be talking to? Reyes? Vidal?” Her eyes hardened. “The Charlatan?”  
  
Her chilly tone pulled him up short, and he blinked at her for a moment. She took advantage of his silence.  
  
“I don’t like it when you change who you are with me,” she said. “I know it’s a defense mechanism, it’s how you get shit done, and that’s fine with everyone else.” She looked him in the eye and held his gaze. “But when you’re with me, you’re Reyes. Understand?”  
  
“It wasn’t just us in there,” he said quietly. He wanted to be angry, he was angry. No one made demands of him, at least, no one had in a long time. It was an uncomfortable experience. He wanted to slip into one of his masks now and hide the hurt she so easily caused him, but that would be a critical mistake.   
  
She sighed, her frigid demeanor evaporating. “I know, and I’m not mad about that,” she said. “But it was a reminder of how things could be.”  
  
He stepped closer to her, acutely aware of the inches between them, and the electricity that filled that space. “That’s why we need to talk,” he said. He wanted to reach out, to take her hand in his and soothe the tension from her with gentle strokes of his thumb.  
  
She considered him for a moment, and then nodded. “C’mon,” she said. She tilted her head toward her quarters and he followed her dutifully.   
  
He paused at the door. “Is this the best place to have this conversation?”  
  
She smirked at him. “I thought you were a man of control?”  
  
He glared at her. “Historically speaking, I’m not the one we need to worry about.”  
  
She chuckled as the door opened. “We’re just talking,” she said. She spun to face him as he followed her into the room. “And, depending on how this conversation plays out, we might want the privacy.”  
  
He shook his head. “Who are you and what have you done with Sarita?”  
  
Her smile held a tinge of sadness as she regarded him. “It was a long year,” she said after a moment.  
  
He couldn’t argue with that. He stood in the center of the room as she perched against the arm of the couch, the way her fingers dug into the fabric the only hint that she was nervous.  
  
“So,” she said. “Did you think about what I asked you?”  
  
He nodded. “I did.”  
  
“You go first,” she said.   
  
He chuckled. “Don’t trust me not to change my answer?”  
  
She frowned at him. “I honestly don’t know.”  
  
“Well,” he said, his hands moving into the pockets of his cargo pants to hide his fidgeting. “I decided that I don’t want to start fresh.” He shook his head. “There’s too much history to just ignore it all.” He looked up at her. “There’s too much we need to work through.”  
  
Her bright blue eyes held his amber ones, but she nodded. “I agree.”  
  
“What I really want,” he said as he stepped closer to her. “Is to try and pick up where we left off.” He licked his lips. “Address the problems we had and try again.”   
  
She watched him carefully, but she didn’t speak. Maybe she didn’t want the same thing after all? Maybe she really only missed his body. Her silence on the matter unnerved him.  
  
“Or,” he stammered. “If that’s too much to ask, I’m okay with just sex.” He shrugged. He wasn’t really sure how to negotiate these terms. His relationship with Sara had always been devastatingly natural, happening so quickly he couldn’t ever actually control it.  
  
She smiled at him. “I don’t know, Vidal,” she said as she stood. “I have it on good authority that I am terrible at casual relationships.” She stepped closer to him, and he could feel the heat of her body as she lingered just out of his reach. “I get too invested.”  
  
She was teasing him. He laid his desires bare, and she was teasing him? “Sara,” he whispered.  
  
She sobered as she closed the distance between them, her arms locking around his neck as she looked up at him. “I want to try again,” she said. Those blue eyes with the fractured emerald centers stared up at him, and for that moment they were his whole world, his whole existence swimming in their depths.   
  
She didn’t pull away when he pressed his lips to hers, didn’t balk when his tongue traced her lower lip offering to deepen the kiss. She merely pulled him closer and opened her mouth, the movement languid and patient, determined to take her time and enjoy this reunion.  
  
Reyes reminded himself to do the same, breathing in the mint of her hair and cherishing the familiar warmth of her skin under his hands as they traveled to her waist. Her tongue tangled with his, and in the slower dance the rhythm made more sense, less desperation and more devotion.  
  
He broke the kiss to let his mouth wander down her neck, and he was rewarded with a gasp as her hands moved to cling to his shoulders.   
  
“Reyes,” she murmured.  
  
“Princesa,” he breathed against her ear.   
  
“Wait.”  
  
He froze against her. How many times would this woman ask him to wait? Did she know what she did to him? “What’s wrong?”  
  
“Nothing,” she promised. “I just think there’s a little more we should talk about, before we take this any further.”  
  
He took a deep breath and then took a step back from her. “Okay,” he said, running a hand through his hair.   
  
She smiled apologetically. “I meant what I said in the hall about who you are when you’re with me.”  
  
He nodded. “To clarify, you do mean when it’s just the two of us, yes?”  
  
She nodded. “Yes.”  
  
“Done,” he promised. He could be Reyes with her, always. Hell, it was the only time he could truly just be Reyes. She had no idea how easy this promise would be to keep.  
  
“And I want more transparency between us about the Collective.”  
  
He stared at her. “How much?” Perhaps that promise wouldn’t be so easy to keep after all. He desperately wanted to slip into his persona of the Charlatan right then.  
  
“If it involves me or a member of my team, the outposts, or the Nexus, I’m included in the communications.” Judging from the trepidation that wavered in her eyes, she knew just how much she asked of him. “Not after you’ve made a decision about it, not after you’ve already handled it,” she warned. “I’m included in real time.”  
  
He took a deep breath and looked away from her. “That’s a lot,” he admitted.  
  
“I know,” she whispered.   
  
He looked back to her, and found himself rolling the dice, yet again. “If I agree to this, I want more access to the Initiative.”   
  
She raised an eyebrow, surprised by his attempt to negotiate. “How so?”  
  
“If Nexus leadership so much as whispers about moving against the Collective, I want informed.” He smirked, “in real time. And I want to work toward establishing legitimate trade between the Collective and the Initiative.”  
  
She shook her head. “I can’t promise that last one will work out.”  
  
He shrugged. “I just want your support to work toward it, I’ll handle actually negotiating terms” he said. “I meant what I said about cementing our alliance.”  
  
She watched him carefully. “If I agree to this, I could be caught in the cross-hairs if the Nexus does try to move against you.”  
  
“I know,” he murmured. If she was going to ask for so much from him, he would do the same to her. “If we’re going to do this, then the commitment needs to be equal.”  
  
She smiled then, and nodded. “I agree.”  
  
He sighed, a relieved hand running through his hair. “Anything else?” He asked.  
  
“Last thing, I promise.” She bit her lip, and suddenly looked ashamed. “I want to take things slowly,” she said. “At least, as far as the crew is concerned.”  
  
He frowned. “You mean, you don’t want them to know?”  
  
She shook her head. “No. I just don’t want them to know how quickly things are moving.” She considered him. “C’mon, Reyes. We’re going to fall back into this fast, but that’s not fair for the crew.”  
  
He stared at her for a moment, trying to read the lines of her discomfort in her body to see where she was coming from. “You mean, it’s not fair for Liam.”  
  
She swallowed, holding his gaze with a defiant little tilt to her chin. It reminded him so much of the first time he saw her in Kralla’s Song that he almost forgot to be frustrated with her.   
  
“We were together for almost eight months,” she whispered, sitting back on the arm of the couch. “He deserves more than three days to deal with our breakup.”  
  
He rubbed at his face. This shouldn’t bother him. Their relationship had always been careful in public, lest anyone make the connections between the Pathfinder and the Charlatan and followed that trail back to him. But here, on the Tempest, they were safe. She said it herself, her crew was her family, and shouldn’t you be able to be yourself with your family?  
  
It’d been so long since he’d had one, Reyes wasn’t sure.  
  
“So, what do you want?” He asked. “Limited interactions in front of the others?”  
  
She shrugged. “We’ve been flirting a little, teasing each other. That’s a good place to start.” She bit at her lip, and it took all his discipline to keep his eyes from lingering there. “Then we can slowly increase the interactions.”  
  
“They’ll find out,” he said. “It’s a small ship.”  
  
She grinned at him, and there was something wicked in it. “It’ll be our little game,” she said. “How long can we keep them guessing?”  
  
That look in her eye coupled with her excitement at the prospect of deceiving her entire crew, ignited something in him. He took a step closer, his movement unintentionally predatory. She tensed, and the way her breath caught in her throat and her pupils dilated was all the invitation he needed.   
  
“I think this discussion is over,” he purred. She licked her lips, and tilted her chin up at him, her eyes defiant even as they raked over him. She bit her lip as he closed the distance, her hands digging into the arm of the sofa.   
  
“Oh?” She breathed, and he was close enough to feel it against his skin. “Did you have something else in mind?”  
  
His lips brushed against her jaw, feather light and teasing until they reached her ear, the one with the tattoo he loved to trace. “I can think of a few things I’d like to try.”  
  
She chuckled. “Lucky for you, I’m the adventurous type.”  
  
He let his eyes rove her face, searching for any hint, any flicker of doubt that she wasn’t ready for this. He smiled, feral and wanting, when he found only desire in her blue eyes, in the part of her lips, and the shallow breaths that mirrored his heartbeat.  
  
“I’m going to put that to the test,” he promised, and then closed the distance between their lips.


	23. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Note the changed rating on this fic. Note that this chapter is the reason for that change. Note that this chapter is very much NSFW. Note all of this and enjoy ;)

Imagining their reunion had plagued Sara those last few days. The fantasy of Reyes’ hands on her body had distracted her from her reports to Addison and Tann, forcing her to re-read them multiple times. Memories of his lips in all her favorite places had kept her up at night, trying to satisfy herself with desperate fingers that never quite lived up to their inspiration. His scent when he passed her in the hall, warm and smoky like the Mount Milgrom they’d shared in Kadara Port, lit hungry fires in her belly, and his voice as he spoke to someone in another room raised the hairs on the back of her neck.  
  
So, when all their negotiations and careful terms had been laid out and agreed to, she had anticipated the heat of their bodies colliding for the first time in over a year. What she hadn’t expected was the relief.  
  
“I’m going to put that to the test,” he purred, and dipped his head down to hers. His lips were demanding, ferocious against hers as he let his his body ask for what his words always danced around.  
  
And finally she could reply in kind. She tilted her head back, baring her throat as she opened her mouth at the insistence of his tongue. His right hand rested at her hip, the weaker fingers there still clawing at her hip bone in a most delicious way, while his left hand trailed up her neck to tug at her braid, pulling her head even farther back.  
  
“This month has been torture,” he growled down at her. His amber eyes had been transmuted to liquid gold, and his gaze seared through her.  
  
“I promise to make it up to you,” she murmured. The smile that lit his face added a different warmth to the fire that scorched through her veins, a warmth that brought a subtle sting to the backs of her eyes. She kissed him before he could look too much into her expression; he was always too good at reading her.  
  
He moaned into her mouth as their lips established a searing rhythm, his hand unwinding from her hair to encircle her waist. With a grunt he lifted her from the arm of the couch, and her legs wrapped around his hips automatically. Her hands found purchase on his neck, her thumbs trailing his jaw as he carried her to the bed.  
  
She let out a surprised shriek as he dropped her onto the mattress, and he grinned at her, mischief glittering in his golden eyes. Breathless, she watched as he took off his t-shirt, committing the ripple of his muscles to memory as he lifted the fabric off his shoulders and flung it across the room. She sat up to help him with the button of his pants, the fingers of his right hand still a little clumsy. Once he was free of them, she sat back to take him in.  
  
Reyes was toned in a way that suggested hard work and capability. He wasn’t cut into the hard lines of religious discipline and self-obsession that so many men strove for, but his every move rippled along his body, promising strength and, if she wanted it, comfort too. His black boxers clung to his muscled thighs, and Sara had a violent need to run her hands through the soft hairs there, to tease him by playing with the hem of the fabric.  
  
She finally looked up to his face and bit her lip at the smirk she found there. “Looking good, Vidal.”  
  
Gently, he took her hand and placed it on his chest, inviting her touch to wander and explore. “I feel even better,” he breathed in her ear.  
  
She groaned. “You are so cheesy.”  
  
His fingers trailed at the hem of her tank top, and then tugged it over her head. “You like it,” he murmured as he pushed her back against the bed, his mouth forging a path from her neck to the elastic band of her leggings, just below her belly button.  
  
Her body rolled against him, the caress of his lips on the sensitive flesh of her stomach sending jolts of electricity through her nerve-endings. “Reyes,” she gasped as his mouth wandered further south, the heat of his breath against the damp Lycra between her thighs unraveling her.  
  
“What, Princesa?” He asked, even though he knew damn well what he did to her.  
  
“I missed you,” she whispered. And it was true, even beyond the undeniable chemistry they shared, she had missed him. She had missed the warmth of his body curved on hers, the rumble of the chuckles that lived deep in his chest, the smiles he seemed to save just for her. She promised herself she’d tell him properly once they’d addressed the tension between them.  
  
He tugged at her leggings, and she lifted her hips to accommodate him. She let out a breathy laugh as he gasped at her lack of underwear. She felt the tremor in his fingertips as he trailed them over her, and knew it took every ounce of his control not to delve into the very heat of her.  
  
Instead his mouth resumed his attentions on her skin, working his way back up to her throat. He growled as his fingers struggled with the clasp of her bra, and she leaned up to help him. He captured her lips with his own as he threw the clothing away from them, and the press of his skin against hers was the warmth of the sun after a long winter.  
  
“Sarita,” he whispered, hands roving from her breasts to her hips. “I need you.” The words fell from his full lips as a prayer, a vow, confirmation that it had always been so and that would never change. Those clever fingers finally found the crease of her thighs, tantalizing circles swirling the heat in her belly into tighter and tighter coils.  
  
She was a fool to think anyone could ever make her feel as good as the man above her now. He moved to lay beside her, and she rolled to press her back to his chest as his fingers continued their ministrations. He always did like being behind her, and his moan and the press of his teeth to her shoulder told her that his preferences hadn’t changed. As the heat of his touch swelled to consume her, flashing white and hot behind her eyelids, Sara arched against him, one hand reaching back to tangle in his hair. His lips were on her neck, teeth grazing the tender skin just behind her ear.  
  
“Tell me you missed me,” he growled, his breath warm in her ear.  
  
Eyes closed and her bottom lip caught between her teeth, Sara’s grip in his hair tightened. “God, I missed you, Reyes,” she moaned.  
  
“Tell me you need me.” It was a command, and the demanding pace of his fingers left her no choice but to obey.  
  
“I need you,” she gasped. “Fuck, I need you.” She cried out as his fingers abandoned their perch to delve into her aching center. She arched further, and his right arm snaked underneath her to cross her chest and pull her back against him.  
  
Briefly, her mind wondered if he should use his braced wrist to pin her to him, but then his thumb resumed the unrelenting circles his fingers had started, and all concern was wiped from her mind in a white tidal wave of pleasure. Her breathing turned ragged and her hips rolled against his hand, desperate for the contact that promised to make her feel so much better than she had in months.  
  
“Look at me,” he murmured. His voice was softer, tender and yet no less commanding.  
  
She craned her neck and opened her eyes to find his. The molten gold of his irises were dark, his pupils blown wide with lust, but she was surprised to find an openness on his face as he watched her, a vulnerability that added so much weight to the expert motions of his hand.  
  
“Tell me what you want,” he said. His voice was thick, rough with desire, but she heard the doubt in his words. This wasn’t a command but a plea.  
  
Sara let her hand trail from his hair to trace the line of his jaw, her eyes following her fingers and then looking back at him. She gasped and bucked against him again as two deft fingers curled inside her, but she refused to look away from those eyes that waited for her reply.  
  
“Tell me, Sara,” he whispered.  
  
She searched his eyes and met with both hunger and doubt warring for dominance in the only man that managed to set her blood on fire with a glance. Sara knew she was responsible for both emotions, that she was the source of his internal conflict, and it would only take a few words to allay his fears.  
  
“You, Reyes,” she said. Her voice trembled, and not just with the building pleasure that started to crash against her in blinding waves. “I want you.”  
  
And just like that, the dark shadows flickered out and hunger gleamed in his eyes. His hand left her suddenly, and she jerked with the loss, her body clenching at nothing as the heat continued to build. And then he was there, gliding slowly into her center as she spasmed with need. His fingers returned to the apex of her thighs, gentler but exacting in their excruciating circles.  
  
He didn’t move against her as his hand urged her to greater heights. Reyes let her hips rock into his while his right arm kept her back arched against him, his weaker fingers tracing teasing circles around her left nipple. He let her thrust frantically as the heat kept building.  
  
“Fuck,” he groaned at her ear, the word drawn out and shuddering in his throat.  
  
It was the final push Sara needed. She broke against him with a sharp cry and shaking breaths as the white hot heat coursed through her, her every nerve pulsing with pleasure until it verged on painful. His hand didn’t stop, guiding her through the tumultuous sea of her orgasm and ensuring that every ounce of release was pulled from her.  
  
She moaned as his right arm loosened around her, freeing her from the strained position arched against his chest, and she shuddered a final time, gasping and moaning as she twitched around him. Her limbs were dead, weights that pulled her into the mattress and anchored her as she rode out the wake of the strongest climax she’d had since Varren’s Scalp.  
  


Reyes watched her as she floated back down to him, her face serene as she panted, her lips parted and eyes closed. It had taken every ounce of his control not to push her onto her stomach, climb on top of her, and lose himself in the heat of her. But, this was a reunion. There would be time for wanton fucking, hopefully that same night, but it would wait until he’d showed her just how much this meant to him.  
  
Her eyelids fluttered, and he smiled. In their time together, Sara had rarely dozed after sex, so he knew this particular bout must have been quite satisfactory if she hovered so close to unconsciousness. He ghosted his fingertips along the sensitive skin of her neck, trailing across her shoulders and down her arms and then back up. She licked her lips and her brow furrowed, strands of sandy brown hair clinging to the sweat on her flushed cheeks.  
  
His fingers traced down her chest, teasing just beneath her breasts and then over her stomach. His smile widened as the muscles of her belly tightened at his touch. She twitched and then gasped, her eyes flying open as she ground against his erection still within her. He rolled his hips experimentally, and she bit her lip against the moan that bubbled up in her throat.  
  
It had been so long since he’d seen that look on Sara’s face, the one that promised that she had never felt as good as he made her feel just then, that no other lover could make her body sing like him. But, it had haunted his dreams and featured in so many fantasies over the last year that Reyes’ self-control snapped.  
  
Putting his weight on his right elbow, he shoved her over onto her stomach. She cried out at the loss of him, but he followed after her, pushing her legs wide with his knees. He brushed the tip of his erection along the length of her wet heat, and shuddered.  
  
“I need you,” he whispered. “I fucking need you so much.” The words were harsh on his breath, and the thickness of his voice betrayed that he didn’t just mean her body.  
  
She mewled his name, lifting her hips to try and find him, to press against him. Her eagerness brought a growl from his lips, and he couldn’t wait, couldn’t deny himself further. He delved into her, bowing his back over hers until he couldn’t press any deeper.  
  
He shuddered and took deep breaths, settling himself inside her. His weight rested predominantly in his right forearm, but he pressed the palm of his left hand in the center of her upper back, between her shoulder blades, pinning her beneath him with his hips and his hand.  
  
She turned her head to the right to look up at him with one eye, her tattoo peeking up at him through wild strands of sandy brown hair that had escaped her braid. The green in her eyes was almost completely lost to the black of her pupils, and it gave her a wild look that he desperately wanted to tame and elicit all at the same time.  
  
She rolled against him, but he pressed his hips harder against her. She made another desperate sound of wanting, and it convinced him to take a slow stroke, until the cool air of the room clung to her moisture on his erection and she whimpered at the emptiness. Reyes was merciless in his return; she was primed for him enough that the shock of it would be translated as pleasure. And so he continued for a few more, long and torturous thrusts, memorizing the feel of her around him and comparing it to his fantasies and faded memories.  
  
The real thing was so much better.  
  
“Reyes,” she moaned and lifted her ass against him, begging him for more. He smirked down at her; he never had been good at telling her no.  
  
He increased the pace and the weight he placed in his palm, pressing her further into the mattress. Soon, as his thrusts took on a much faster tempo, that hand turned into a forceful grip on her left shoulder, pulling her against him as he moved into her with more and more need.  
  
Her hands gripped in the sheets, and she lifted her hips to meet his thrusts, increasing the angle until he knew they’d found the one that hit just the right spot. His suspicions were confirmed when the volume of her cries suddenly increased.  
  
Sara didn’t have time or awareness for words, just desperate pleading and chants of his name as he pulled and pushed against her, her hips canted against him to allow him deeper and deeper with each powerful thrust. Her body writhed beneath him, held in place by his hips and the hand on her shoulder, but the spasms that started deep within her kept her struggling against him.  
  
She cried out, a high-pitched and strangled sound as her body clenched and shuddered against him and Reyes thrust two more times as he used her orgasm to bring about his own. The clench in his abdomen and between his thighs bowed his back over her, and the release was a mixture of stuttering heat and pure white relief.  
  
He dropped to his elbows, panting as his chest met with her back and he pressed light kisses to her shoulder blades.  
  
After several moments, Sara stirred beneath him with a groan. “Oh, holy shit,” she moaned.  
  
Reyes chuckled against her flushed skin, but pulled himself from her to lay by her side. She flopped over onto her back, one hand trailing aimlessly along his chest in lazy patterns. He watched her, paid witness to that blissful look on her face again, and felt his throat constrict with sudden emotion.  
  
“Sara,” he murmured, pulling her to him so his lips could press a kiss to her damp hair.  
  
She hummed in reply, a sound of pure satisfaction as she rolled to face him. The sight of her lying content in his arms brought words brimming within him, words he’d avoided so long before. Words he’d regretted hoarding away, that he should have said sooner. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.  
  
“I love you,” he whispered against her forehead.  
  
She stilled in his arms, wide blue eyes staring up at him. “Reyes,” she stammered. “I-”  
  
He shook his head. “No pressure, Sarita,” he promised. He pulled her to him, leaving a gentle kiss on her lips as the cooling sweat on their bodies adhered them to one another. “I held onto those words too long last time,” he said. “I won’t keep them from you again.”  
  
Sara watched him for a long moment, her eyes searching his face for something. She must have found it, because she tilted her chin up to brush her lips against his. “Stay?” She asked, her voice small and hopeful.  
  
He chuckled, tightening his arms around her. “Hardly inconspicuous if I’m caught leaving your room in the morning.”  
  
She pursed her lips, a dissatisfied furrow between her eyebrows. “An hour later and I already want to break my own rules.”  
  
He let out another warm laugh. “I think it’s a good rule,” he said.  
  
“You do?”  
  
He nodded. “It’ll give us some peace. Time to get used to one another again before we have to deal with crew reactions.”  
  
“Exactly,” she murmured against his neck.  
  
He hummed softly at the tender press of her lips on his throat, his mouth curling in a relaxed smile. “Do you want to shower first, or shall I?”  
  
She groaned. “I want to shower together.”  
  
Reyes moaned. “Trust me, Princesa,” he said. “I’d love to. But that would be even harder talk our way out of than my walk of shame.”  
  
She made a disgusted sound low in her throat as she rolled away from him. “I guess I’ll shower first,” she grumbled as she slipped back into her clothes.  
  
Reyes watched her from the bed, unwilling to get up to look for his own clothes for fear that the moment might evaporate, revealed to be the dream it truly was. His eyes clung to the rolling wave of muscles just beneath her shoulder blades as she snapped her bra into place and then pulled on her tank top. She glanced back at him over her shoulder and the breadth of her smile coupled with the shine in her eyes did little to convince him she wasn’t a figment of his imagination.  
  
“What?” She laughed, standing to pull on her leggings.  
  
He rolled to face her, propping up on one elbow. “Just trying to convince myself this is real.”  
  
She bit her lip as she looked down at him, and Reyes felt a fresh wave a desire roll through him. Sara leaned down to kiss him, her mouth gentle and patient on his.  
  
She pulled back to breathe against his lips. “Is that real enough for you?”  
  
He smirked. “I don’t know, Ryder,” he said. “It was pretty dreamy.”  
  
Sara returned his smirk. “How about this?” She leaned into him, her mouth at his ear, and then she flicked the shell of his ear, hard.  
  
He let out a surprised cry, and covered his ear as he glared at her.  
  
She stifled her laughter by biting her lip again and stood up straight, her hands on her hips. “Now hurry up before someone notices we’re gone!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is my first time writing smut so explicitly, so I hope you all enjoyed it!


	24. Strike

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you everyone, for commenting, slamming that kudos button, and being patient with me as this story unravels itself for me. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Sara stood at the conference table feeling more confident about her meeting with the Quarian Pathfinder than she had any business to. She blamed the incredible sleep that left her feeling more rested than any sedative could. Which meant she blamed Reyes and the incredible sex they’d had the night before.  
  
 _Focus_ , she reprimanded herself. She couldn’t afford to be distracted by flashbacks of his hands in all the right places, or of how perfect his lips had felt against hers. Or how she’d felt almost lonely as she’d drifted off to sleep, and then that pang of regret when she realized he wasn’t there in the morning. _Of course he wasn’t_ , she reminded herself. _You set boundaries, and he’ll respect them._ Sara was really tired of her sense of pragmatism.  
  
“I know that look,” Scott said as he arrived at the vidcon. “Someone hasn’t had enough coffee.” He offered her a mug, and she sighed.  
  
“What did I ever do to deserve you?” She murmured before taking a tentative sip of the life-saving beverage.  
  
“Someone has to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”  
  
She glared at her twin. “I was talking to the coffee.”  
  
Scott rolled his eyes, but didn’t antagonize Sara any further. “What do you think Joh’Zolan wants to talk about?”  
  
She shrugged. “I honestly don’t know.” She swept her braid off her shoulder and took another sip of her coffee. “I hope he’s ready to talk about getting the ark back to Heleus.”  
  
Her brother considered her for a moment. “You don’t think that’s it though?”  
  
She shook her head. “We’ll talk about it, but I think he’s got something up his sleeve today… well, if he had sleeves.”  
  
Scott grunted his agreement, shaking his head at her bad joke. And then the vidcon was quiet save for the soft slurping sounds as the Ryder twins indulged in their morning ritual.   
  
“Shouldn’t Reyes be here?” Scott asked after a moment. “You know, in his official capacity.”  
  
She nodded, her mouth quirking down in one corner. It wasn’t like him to be late, and they’d agreed to meet before the Pathfinder arrived. She was about to have SAM check on him when she heard hurried footsteps bounding up the ramp.  
  
“There you are,” Scott said brightly, but his expression faltered as he took Reyes in. “What the hell happened to you?”  
  
Reyes’ hair was wild, thick waves that only fell in its usual part out of habit. Judging from the swirl of hair on the back of his head, he must have slept on it wet. He booted up his omnitool, his eyes still blurry with sleep and ran a hand over his face.   
  
“I overslept,” he said.  
  
Scott glanced at her and she shrugged. She wanted to smirk, because she knew he must have slept like the dead after their heated reunion last night, but that would give them away.  
  
“I didn’t think you actually slept,” Scott said after a moment.   
  
Reyes smirked, his eyes still glued to his omnitool as he struggled to catch up with the morning’s reports before the Pathfinder showed up. “I don’t usually sleep much, a couple hours here and there.”  
  
Scott glanced between them, but Sara refused to give him any sort of reaction. “What changed?”  
  
Reyes yawned, and shook his head as if that would banish the lingering drowsiness. “It’s been a busy few days for the Collective,” he said. “It must have caught up with me.”  
  
Sara watched as he tuned them out, his attention completely captured by the endless stream of reports and data on his omnitool. His face was blank, but she didn’t think that was a conscious effort, more his default face when he processed so much information. His lips pursed momentarily as something displeased him, but then the corners of his eyes crinkled with a smile.  
  
“Anything we need to know?” She asked after another drink from her mug.   
  
“Sarissa was… unimpressed with her meeting with the cell in charge of the probes,” he said as he typed a message. “But, she liked the lieutenant herself, so we have a tentative partnership.” He sighed. “She refuses to ‘play shuttle pilot’ for our engineers, however.”  
  
“What about the others?” Sara frowned. The Asari Pathfinder was hard-headed and often single-minded. They maintained a tense working relationship that was based almost purely on mutual respect and disapproval.  
  
“Hayjer was in right away,” he said. “Rix was slow to reply, but he’s also in.”  
  
“Good.”  
  
Scott grinned. “Two out of three ain’t bad.”  
  
Despite her brother’s best attempts at optimism, Sara could tell that Reyes was far from pleased with Sarissa’s obstinance.  
  
“Can I help in any way?” She asked. “Talk to her? Try and convince her to transport the engineers?”  
  
Reyes shook his head. “Too risky. She’s too skittish about us. If you try and force her hand she’s liable to abort the whole mission.”  
  
Sara grimaced. He was right, and she wasn’t sure if she was impressed or concerned that he had such a deep understanding of the Asari Pathfinder.   
  
“Pathfinder,” SAM said. “The Quarian Pathfinder’s shuttle is presently docking. Joh’Zolan and his team will be on board momentarily.”  
  
“Thanks, SAM,” she said. She glanced between her brother and Reyes. “Let’s try and start fresh with the Pathfinder today,” she said. “Be patient with him. He’s our ally, whether we agree with him or not.”  
  
Scott chuckled and crossed his arms. “You really think this meeting will go any differently?”  
  
She sighed, shaking her head. “No,” she admitted. “But, we have to at least try.” She wasn’t really sure how much she believed that, but she’d promised Laela’Vaar that she’d talk to her uncle, and she wasn’t sure she’d get another chance after today’s meeting.   
  
Heavy steps on the ramp announced the arrival of the Quarian Pathfinder, and she was surprised to see he was alone.  
  
“Welcome, Pathfinder,” she said, keeping her voice professional.  
  
Joh’Zolan nodded at her, and then her brother as he stepped up to the conference table. “Ryders,” he said. He spared a glance at Reyes, the pinpricks of light in his mask darting over and then back to Sara, as he nodded at the man.  
  
Reyes inclined his head, but then his eyes were back on his omnitool. His silence felt like a dismissal, and Sara was shocked that the Pathfinder didn’t comment on his lack of civility. She wondered just what the Charlatan had said to the quarian to cow him so completely.  
  
“No Laela’Vaar today?” Scott asked.   
  
Joh’Zolan shook his head. “She is below negotiating trade with your quartermaster.”  
  
Sara looked over at the Pathfinder sharply. “My what?”  
  
Scott cleared his throat loudly over her question, and Reyes took the cue.  
  
“Vetra is sure to be fair in her haggling,” he said with a smirk.  
  
The Pathfinder scoffed. “Of course she will,” he said. “She’s a turian, not a damn volus.”  
  
Sara frowned. There was a volus in Joh’Zolan’s team; surely he didn’t say such things around him? But, the state of the Pathfinder’s team wasn’t her concern today. She turned her attention on the large quarian in his blood red envirosuit.   
  
“You said you were ready to talk?”  
  
At her serious tone Scott set his weight in his heels and crossed his arms, and Reyes dismissed his omnitool.  
  
Joh’Zolan sighed, but nodded. “You had ideas about how best to help the Keelah Si’yah escape Alcaeus.” He cleared his throat. “I am… ready to hear them now.”  
  
Sara’s eyes darted between her brother and Reyes, and only her twin showed surprise on his face. Whatever Reyes had done or said to the Pathfinder, this was the outcome he’d anticipated. She would have to thank him properly later.   
  
She nodded and stepped forward to rest her hands on the table. “We’ve taken initial steps to map the scourge in Alcaeus, so we can find an escape route for the ark.”  
  
“Extensive repairs will be required before she can make such a journey,” the quarian said.  
  
“We’re aware,” Scott said.  
  
“That’s where I come in,” Reyes added.   
  
Joh’Zolan snapped to attention as Reyes spoke, and Sara saw the approving glimmer in his amber eyes as the Charlatan continued.  
  
“My organization is supplying probes to expedite the mapping process, as well as shipping in a dozen engineers to help with repairs.”  
  
“Your organization?”  
  
“Reyes is a representative from a group back in Heleus known as the Collective,” Sara said.  
  
“What kind of group?” The Pathfinder asked, his tone suspicious. His gaze focused on the Charlatan, who had taken up a predatory grin for the quarian’s sake.  
  
“We’ll give you the history lesson later,” Scott promised. “Suffice it to say that they are our allies.”  
  
Reyes shrugged his agreement to let the matter die so that they could continue their talks.  
  
“So,” Sara started. “As you can see, we’re taking initiative to bring the ark home.”  
  
Joh’Zolan nodded, looking down at the table. “How many ships will be arriving in Alcaeus?”  
  
“Three,” Sara answered. “All similar in class to the Tempest.”  
  
Judging from the set of his shoulders as he crossed his arms, Sara imagined that the quarian was scowling. Then again, she always imagined him scowling.  
  
“There’s been chatter on Kett comms about you,” he said.   
  
“Nice things, I hope,” she replied with a grimace. Scott chuckled and Reyes shook his head despite his smirk.   
  
Joh’Zolan grunted. “Quite. They are less than pleased with your presence in their research facility.” He sighed. “They know you’re here now, and they won’t stop searching until they find you.”  
  
Sara frowned. “Charming.”  
  
“Adding three more ships is only going to draw more attention,” the quarian said.  
  
Sara crossed her arms, mimicking her brother’s posture. “So what you’re saying is that we need a distraction.”  
  
Scott groaned, dropping his face into one hand. “You want us to be bait, don’t you?”  
  
Joh’Zolan ignored her twin, his hard gaze glued to the Human Pathfinder. “We’ve been in this cluster for for over a year. We know the locations of several military bases.”  
  
Reyes stepped forward to lean against the conference table. “You want us to assault Kett bases to draw attention away from the Pathfinders.”  
  
The quarian nodded. “We protect the ark and deliver a blow to the Kett.” His voice was hard, and the violence in his tone sent a chill down Sara’s spine.  
  
“I can’t believe I’m going to say this,” Scott said. “But, I actually like this plan.”   
  
Sara nodded once, stuffing down her concerns about the Pathfinder’s motivations for the time being. “Reyes,” she started. “How long will the Collective need to ready their engineers?”  
  
He tilted his head from side to side, considering her question. “A dozen should be ready for deployment by the end of the week.”  
  
“I’ll leave it to you to coordinate with the Pathfinders,” she said, turning away from him to refocus on Joh’Zolan. “I’ll defer to you on how and when to strike these Kett compounds.”  
  
“Laela will forward coordinates to your pilot,” the quarian said.  
  
“Scott.” Sara turned to her twin. “Why don’t you touch base with Laela’Vaar and outline a plan of attack?”  
  
Her twin understood immediately. “Right away,” he said, and nodded for Reyes to follow him. Amber eyes flickered over to her, nodding once before they hardened and glared at Joh’Zolan. The quarian stiffened slightly, but didn’t say a word as the two left the vidcon.  
  
The two Pathfinders stood in silence for a moment, before Joh’Zolan finally spoke.  
  
“What is it, Ryder?” He asked with a sigh. “Obviously you wanted to speak in privacy.”  
  
She nodded. “It’s a personal matter,” she admitted.   
  
The quarian shook his head. “You have a ship psychologist; make use of her.”  
  
Sara looked up at him and held his gaze. “I’d suggest the same to you.”  
  
“Excuse me?” The little warmth in the quarian’s voice was replaced with a bristling chill.   
  
Sara sighed. “I heard about your son,” she said. When Joh’Zolan didn’t speak, she continued. “I’m sorry for your loss.”  
  
“You know nothing of my loss,” the quarian snapped.   
  
She inhaled slowly, willing herself to remain calm and not let the anger bubbling in her chest boil over into her voice. “You’re right,” she started. “I’ve never known the loss of a child. But, my father died to save me. It’s a debt I’ve spent the last two years trying to repay and I know that I never truly will.”  
  
She looked down at her hands on the table and swallowed against the ball of emotion in her throat; Joh’Zolan would only perceive her feelings as weakness. It would only alienate them when she was trying to carve out some common ground.  
  
“The guilt of living when you’d give anything to trade places is overwhelming. It can be all-consuming.” She looked up to find his eyes on her. “But you have people who depend on you. The ark. Xanthe and Zoldat. Your team. Laela.” The quarian’s name was hardly a whisper on her lips.  
  
Joh’Zolan shifted on his feet, his arms crossed over his chest uncomfortably. “This isn’t your business,” he said, but his filtered voice lacked any conviction.  
  
Sara shook her head. “How you grieve Tael’Zolan isn’t my business,” she agreed. “But, your performance as Pathfinder is.”  
  
“Don’t,” the quarian interrupted. “Don’t speak his name.”  
  
Sara froze, and stared hard at the Pathfinder. “My father had a saying,” she said, and this time she didn’t keep the emotion from her voice. “When your back is against the wall, use it.” She took a deep breath. “You’re letting the loss of your son corner you and its affecting your judgment.” She straightened up and backed away from the table. “Don’t you think it’s time you put that grief and anger to good use?”  
  
She didn’t wait for his response. Sara turned on her heel and marched down the ramp, unsurprised when her feet led her to the medbay. It’d been a long time since she’d willingly gone to Lexi, but after that conversation she needed the opinions of her therapist.  
  
And her friend.  
  
  
  


Reyes leaned against the door frame, smirking behind his omnitool as he listened to Scott needling Vetra and Laela’Vaar.  
  
“So, was Joh’Zolan always so uptight?” The Ryder twin asked.   
  
“Did Ryder not tell you?” The quarian asked after a quiet moment. Reyes looked up from his display to see the young quarian wringing her hands.   
  
Scott’s brow furrowed. “Tell me what?”  
  
“I thought she would have told you of all people,” she stammered. “Twins are practically non-existent in my culture, but we’ve heard of their strong attachments and seeming telepathy-”  
  
“Told me what, Laela?” Scott interrupted.  
  
“The Pathfinder is not himself,” she admitted. “I asked for your sister’s help in speaking with him about it.”  
  
Reyes dismissed his omnitool, his attention now completely focused on the discussion happening before him. If there was to be a confrontation between Sara and the Quarian Pathfinder, Reyes wanted to know about it.   
  
“How could Ryder help?” Vetra asked, her mandibles flicking in confusion.  
  
“Joh’Zolan’s son died after his suit was ruptured during a raid on a Kett base,” Laela said. “Just over a month ago.”  
  
“Holy shit,” Scott breathed.  
  
The news was shocking to the others, but it made sense to Reyes. It at least explained why his threats against the Pathfinder had been so effective, and it explained his immediate disapproval of Sara. She was a child whose father had been able to save her, a constant reminder of his own failing.  
  
“Wait,” Scott said after a moment. “You asked Sara to talk to him about this?”  
  
Laela nodded. “She understands his predicament. She has coped with loss and the responsibility of being a Pathfinder.”  
  
Scott caught Reyes’ eyes, and the smuggler nodded. Wordlessly, he shoved off the door frame and headed back up to the vidcon. He was surprised to find the Quarian Pathfinder alone and silent, bowed over the conference table.  
  
“You needn’t have come running,” he said without looking up. “I upheld the terms of our agreement.”  
  
“Where is she?” Reyes asked, his voice cool.  
  
Joh’Zolan shrugged. “How should I know? She waxed poetic about loss and using your grief and then fled.”  
  
That pulled him up short. In all their time together, their quiet conversations and vulnerable admissions, Sara had never spoke of what happened on Ryder-1. When it came to her thoughts and feelings about her father and his sacrifice, Reyes was in the dark.  
  
“Mr. Vidal,” SAM’s voice filtered over the intercom. “The Pathfinder is currently in the medbay, speaking with Dr. T’Perro.”  
  
Reyes wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, but at least she wasn’t alone.  
  
“Laela,” the quarian barked into his omnitool. “We’re leaving.” The hulking alien stomped past Reyes, pausing at the top of the ramp to look back over his shoulder. “Tell the Pathfinder that we’ll keep her up to date on our movements.” He looked Reyes up and down, his disapproval plain. “I expect the same courtesy.”  
  
He didn’t wait for an acknowledgment or any assurances before striding down the ramp, the stern words and lack of farewell as much a dismissal as Reyes’ own silence had been earlier.  
  
He stood and focused on his breathing. He ignored the tremor in his arms and the way his hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly, his injured wrist throbbing dully at the action, until his pulse faded into something like normal again.   
  
The news of the Quarian Pathfinder’s son did little to endear him to the Charlatan. Sure, it explained his behavior, and even gave Reyes leverage over the quarian, but it did not absolve him. No, Reyes still very much wanted to put his fist through the mask of Joh’Zolan’s envirosuit. That fantasy distracted him as he walked down to the galley, pausing only when he heard the doors to the medbay glide open.  
  
“Thanks, Lex,” Sara said. Her voice sounded weary, but relieved.  
  
“Anytime, Ryder,” the doctor replied. “And I mean that.”  
  
“I know,” the Pathfinder said, and then turned out into the hall.  
  
As she looked up at him, he could immediately tell she’d been crying. Her usually wide blue eyes were puffy and red-rimmed, and her cheeks were tracked from tears.  
  
“Hey,” she said, a soft smile on her lips as the door closed behind her.  
  
“Hey,” he replied. His anger cooled into something hard that sank deep into the back of his mind, to be called up later when he could put it to good use. Right now Sara needed him to be focused and soft; understanding. “Are you okay?” He asked and followed her into the galley.  
  
She nodded, but said nothing more.   
  
Reyes watched her as she headed to the fridge. She pulled out a beer, shook her head, and put the bottle back to decide on one of Liam’s sports drinks instead. He raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
“Lexi wants me to stop ‘drowning my emotions in alcohol’.” She made the quotations gesture with her free hand and shrugged. “I figured electrolytes were better.”  
  
“And sugar,” he added, resting his hip and shoulder against the door frame.  
  
She smirked at him, but the expression seemed hollow on her face. “A girl has to have some vice.” She leaned against the counter and took a long pull on the bottle.   
  
“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked after she’d made it clear she wasn’t going to be forthcoming.  
  
She shook her head. “Not really.”  
  
He nodded, noticing how she fidgeted with the cap of the bottle. “Do I need to have another chat with the Pathfinder?”  
  
She shook her head again. “This,” she gestured at her face. “Has nothing to do with him.”  
  
He stepped over to her, purposefully putting himself in her space. “What does it have to do with?”  
  
Her fingers toyed with the bottle cap, spinning it open, then closed, and then open again. Gently, Reyes took the bottle from her and set it on the counter before holding her hands in his.  
  
“Sara?” He kept his voice low and soothing, not wanting to add to her agitation.  
  
She let out a shaky breath, but nodded. “I just… have a lot of hang-ups about my dad.” She shrugged. “Talking to Joh’Zolan brought up some feelings I thought I’d dealt with.”  
  
He nodded, because he understood exactly what she meant. After his family died he’d spent years coping with his grief and trauma, only to have it catch up with him when he least expected it.  
  
“Grief isn’t something you can just air out now and then, only to slam a lid on it when it’s inconvenient,” he said. “It comes and goes in waves.”  
  
She nodded again, a sad smile tugging at her lips as her eyes misted with unshed tears. “I forget sometimes that you’ve dealt with more than your fair share of grief.”  
  
He smiled back, and let the ache in his chest twitch at the corners of his mouth. “Trust me, Princesa,” he whispered. “I’m glad one of us can forget.”  
  
She let her forehead rest against his, her fingers lacing with his own. They stood there for a moment as she found her balance again, her breathing settling and the flush leaving her cheeks. With light fingers he tucked escaped strands back behind her ear.  
  
“You okay?” He asked again.  
  
When she met his eyes hers were clear and determined once more. “I’m okay,” she promised. She grabbed her drink from the counter, and he took that as his cue to step away from her. She pushed away from the counter to leave a less-than-chaste kiss on his lips.  
  
She smirked at the surprise on his face, and walked to the door. “I’ll see you later, Reyes,” she said as she left the galley.  
  
He watched her go, and then growled at the building frustration low in his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I know I read a scenario where Vetra touted herself as the Tempest's quartermaster, unbeknownst to Ryder. I'm sorry I don't remember where I saw that, but it cracked me up, and Laela needed an excuse to see Vetra again, so I borrowed it. Thank you for letting me take your comedic genius and twist it into my own!


	25. Liability

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you all so much for your continued support and patience as I try and wrangle this fic toward some sort of resolution! You are all wonderful and I am so grateful for each and every one of you. I hope you guys like this one!

Sara stood with her back against the medbay wall, giving Lexi plenty of room to work. Scanning Reyes’ wrist didn’t actually take long, and though SAM helped with analyzing the data, the doctor preferred to look over the scans herself. Sara tried to keep her breathing even, but she was certain she failed.  
  
“Sara,” SAM said into their private channel. “Dr. T’Perro insists on double-checking, but my analysis is complete.”  
  
“And?” She asked under her breath. It had taken the better part of a week, but the Tempest had reached the first set of coordinates Joh’Zolan had given them that morning, and she needed to know if Reyes would be ready to accompany her on the mission.  
  
“Mr. Vidal’s incision has healed adequately, and I have suggested removal of the sutures.” The AI paused, and Sara’s gut clenched. She watched with pursed lips as Lexi poured over her scans and smiled at something Reyes had said. He was nervous. She could tell by how much he was talking, his usual poise and stoicism forgotten as he waited for the news they both so desperately needed to hear.  
  
“The fractures are set and bone density readings are sufficient,” SAM said. “However, surrounding muscle tissue and ligaments require further physical therapy before Mr. Vidal can be considered for return to active duty.”  
  
Her body tensed against the wall, and she struggled against the frown on her lips. She tried to revert back to impatience, but she couldn’t regain her composure before those amber eyes flicked over to her. He was too observant to miss the change in her body language. The disappointment on his face as he registered her reaction, and then the way he shut down, a very careful and neutral mask blanketing his features, set rage bubbling in her chest.  
  
Sara shoved off the wall, startling Lexi with her sudden movement. “I should have fucking killed that Drell,” she growled, and then left the room.  
  
“Ryder!” Lexi called after her.  
  
“It’s okay,” Reyes said, and though she heard him say something else she couldn’t make out the words as she hurried up to the vidcon. She needed to throw herself into her work. She needed to plan their attack on the Kett compound. She needed to forget that blank look on Reyes’ face as he understood that she’d have to put herself in danger without him. Again.  
  
She pulled up the scans Suvi had taken earlier, even though SAM could have done it in an instant, and stared at them, willing herself to calm down.  
  
“Hey, Sis,” Scott’s cheerful voice announced his presence at the conference table fifteen minutes later.  
  
“Not now, Scott.” She didn’t look up from the display of scans of the buildings they’d be battling through.  
  
“I just wanted to see if you needed any help planning the mission,” he said. His tone was careful, tip-toeing around what he actually wanted to say. His duplicity only frustrated her further.  
  
“What do you want?” She snapped, running a hand through her long, loose hair.  
  
He considered her for a moment, his pale blue eyes gauging her, sizing her up as if she were an opponent. “I heard about Reyes,” he said softly.  
  
She shrugged. “He needs more time to rehabilitate the muscles and ligaments in his wrist,” she said.  
  
“I know you wanted to take him with us,” Scott added.  
  
She sighed, more from frustration than concession. “He’s not ready. There’s nothing I can do about that.”  
  
“Then why are you so upset?”  
  
She still didn’t look up, because she knew that Scott would see the answer on her face. She was the one that demanded they keep their reunion hushed, and as far as she knew, no one but SAM was the wiser. She wanted to keep it that way, at least for a little while longer. But, Scott wasn’t going to let her off the hook this time.  
  
“I hate leaving him behind,” she whispered, still staring at the table, though she didn’t see the reports and displays anymore. “I hate the thought that something might happen to me and he’ll be stuck here, powerless to help.”  
  
Scott sighed, and she knew he ran a hand through his hair. It was just so typically Scott, so typically them. He stepped over to her and put a hand on her arm. “He’ll be okay,” he promised. “Gil deals with that feeling every time we go ground-side.”  
  
She nodded. It was true, she knew that, and she knew that Reyes could handle being left behind, even if they both hated it.  
  
“So,” Scott started. “When did you two get back together?”  
  
“What?” Her head snapped up to look at her twin for the first time.  
  
He scoffed. “Come on, Sara. This is me you’re talking to.” He gestured at her. “You’d never be this upset if you guys weren’t involved.”  
  
She scowled at him. “Does it matter? You lost your bet.”  
  
He laughed. “Oh, I know I did. SAM tells everyone when their wagered day passes unsuccessfully.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“I was not permitted to participate in the wager,” the AI added. “It was decided that our connection disqualified me from placing a bet. Mr. Brodie asked if I would announce the outcomes of the wagers to the interested parties instead.”  
  
“And you agreed?”  
  
“You were asleep,” the AI said with the verbal equivalent of a shrug. “I could not consult you on the matter.”  
  
Scott laughed, warm and open, and it cracked through her disbelief. Sara shook her head, a tentative smile on her lips at the antics of her crew.  
  
“To clarify,” the AI continued. “I only inform the crew when their wagered day passes without coinciding with your and Mr. Vidal’s reunion.”  
  
Sara blushed, and bent her head to let her hair cover her face. She was not having this conversation.  
  
“What about our reunion?”  
  
She turned to see Reyes climbing the ramp, his wrist down at his side, finally free of its brace.  
  
“Did she remove the stitches?” She asked, hurrying to him.  
  
Reyes winced at the memory. “Yes, she did.” He watched her as she pulled his hand into hers and began inspecting the slightly puffy skin where his sutures had been only half an hour before. “And she gave me a list of exercises to start doing.”  
  
“That’s good news,” Scott said from beside the table.  
  
Reyes nodded. “Not quite the news we wanted,” he admitted. “But still good.”  
  
Sara ran gentle fingers along the pink and puckered skin of his incision, a long, straight line that climbed from the outside of his hand to the middle of his forearm. “It’s going to scar,” she murmured.  
  
He shrugged. “Compound fracture and surgery. All the medigel in the world couldn’t keep it from scarring.” He smirked at her, his golden eyes glinting with mischief. “Besides, I hear some women are into scars.”  
  
She rolled her eyes at him, but smiled as she returned her attention to his wrist. It was pale and sickly compared to his left one, the two and half weeks in the brace enough time to let the muscles wither and the skin miss ultraviolet rays.  
  
“How long for physical therapy?” She asked, releasing his arm.  
  
He sighed. “Another two weeks at least.”  
  
“We’ll hit about four bases in that time,” she said with a groan.  
  
“I know,” he said. He tucked her hair behind her right ear and put on a brave face. “But, I’ll have engineers to coordinate and readings from the probes to read over. I’ll keep myself busy.”  
  
Sara took a deep breath. She wanted to rest her forehead to his, she wanted to admit her fears and her almost desperate need to have him with her when she took the fight to the Kett, but as his eyes held hers, she realized he already understood all of that.  
  
She looked back to Scott, his arms crossed comfortably across his chest as he leaned against the conference table. “Let Liam know he’s off the bench for this one.”  
  
He nodded, and made to move off toward engineering.  
  
“And Scott?” She called after her twin. He spun to look at her. “You’re good for this mission, right? Tell me now if you have any doubts.”  
  
Her twin’s expression softened, but there was no doubt in his pale blue eyes. “I’m with you, Sis,” he said, his voice firm and confident.  
  
She smiled and nodded to him, and watched as he hurried off to talk to Liam.  
  
“You good?” Reyes asked once they were alone. “Your little outburst has Lexi worried about you.”  
  
Sara winced. “Not a shining moment.”  
  
He smirked. “I forgive you,” he murmured. He bent down to brush his lip to hers, and they kissed in the quiet of the vidcon. Their kiss was slow and sweet, and it melted Sara’s anger away until all she felt was relief that he was there and hers.  
  
“I’m glad you’re okay,” she said once they separated.  
  
“I know it’s disappointing,” he said. “But I won’t go with you until I’m one hundred percent.” He sighed, “I’m only a liability otherwise.”  
  
She shook her head, about to disagree with him, when Suvi interrupted.  
  
“We’ve got an anomaly, Ryder,” the scientist reported over the intercom.  
  
“I’ll be right there,” Sara replied. She waited for the comm to fall silent, then turned back to Reyes. “Shall we?”  
  
She didn’t wait for his reply before snaking the fingers of her left hand through the newly freed fingers of his right hand. She caught his satisfied smirk as they walked down to the bridge together.  
  
  


Reyes sat in the biolab, reacquainting his fingers with his keyboard in an attempt to distract himself from the fact that Sara was about to assault a Kett military compound with nothing more than Liam, her brother, and her biotics. He had to admit, it wasn’t really working. They’d agreed to say their pre-mission farewells in private, and though the memories of his hands on her skin and the taste of her breath were pleasant ones, he couldn’t convince the fear in his gut to settle.  
  
His doubt was ridiculous and unwarranted; he knew that. Sara and her team had taken out countless Kett strongholds and bases without him over the past two years. They were more than capable, hell, she might even be more focused without him there. But, they had only just reunited, and Reyes feared that such a good thing might be snatched from his grasp so quickly.  
  
“Mr. Vidal,” SAM’s voice filtered into the room.  
  
“Hey, SAM.”  
  
“I am able to stream Sara’s heads-up-display to your terminal if you would like.”  
  
Reyes’ hand hovered over the keyboard, shock stilling his typing. “Does Sara know about this conversation?”  
  
“It was the Pathfinder’s suggestion, Mr. Vidal.”  
  
That was all he needed to hear. “By all means, then,” he said, logging into the terminal.  
  
“Patching you through,” SAM said.  
  
The screen flickered to show him the inside of the Nomad. Sara sat in the driver’s seat, flipping switches until the all-terrain vehicle roared to life. Through the windshield revealed the cargo hold, and he saw Gil shouting something at Scott before the pair kissed briefly and her twin jogged back to the car.  
  
“Gotta say,” Liam said from the backseat. “I’m surprised Vidal’s not here to see you off.”  
  
The view shifted as Sara turned her head to look at her squadmate. “Liam…”  
  
He raised his hands, a bright grin on his face. “I’m not prying,” he promised. “You two just seemed a little cozy lately.”  
  
She shrugged. “He’s busy coordinating with the Pathfinders and his engineers,” she said, turning back to look in the rear-view mirror. “Besides, he doesn’t need to come see me off every time I decide to decimate a Kett stronghold.”  
  
She grinned at her reflection and Reyes chuckled. It would be their little secret then that he was watching. It felt oddly voyeuristic, knowing he could see everything with no one but the Pathfinder and her AI any wiser, and the fear that had swirled in his stomach settled into something hard and small. Negligible, as SAM had said over a month ago.  
  
“You’ve killed plenty of Kett without a kiss to see you on your way,” Liam added, and then fell silent as Scott joined them in the Nomad.  
  
Reyes’ brow furrowed. “SAM?”  
  
“Yes, Mr. Vidal?”  
  
“Why didn’t Sara ever offer this before?” She’d fought more Kett back in Heleus than they’d even seen in Alcaeus, but she’d never once told him what those missions were like, let alone offered to let him watch. Had she not trusted him then? What had changed?  
  
“I believe the Pathfinder did not wish to worry you,” the AI answered.  
  
“How is this different?”  
  
“You are already worried,” SAM said, his voice the verbal equivalent of a shrug. “Perhaps witnessing the mission will help.”  
  
The view on the screen lurched as Sara threw the Nomad into reverse, careening backwards down the ramp until its six wheels found the dirt, and the vehicle spun sharply away from the Tempest.  
  
Suddenly Reyes wasn’t so convinced that watching would be any sort of comfort; Sara’s driving was unnerving no matter how far removed he was from it.  
  
She whooped loudly as she slammed on the accelerator and the Nomad jumped into high gear. Scott and Liam echoed her sentiments, neither of them fazed by her reckless driving anymore after years as her passengers.  
  
The landscape blurred by the vehicle, an almost uniform gray of smeared scenery.  
  
“What’s the atmosphere like SAM?”  
  
“Toxic,” the AI replied. “With temperatures far below the acceptable range for human life.”  
  
“But,” Reyes glowered at the screen. “They’ll be all right?”  
  
“Prolonged exposure is not recommended, however Dr. T’Perro’s studies of Kett biology confirm that these conditions are not ideal for kett forces either. Any structures will likely feature climate control technology.”  
  
That meant the fighting wouldn’t be out in the toxic, freezing wasteland he watched roll by. “What are they even doing out here?”  
  
“Unknown,” SAM said. “Sara hopes to discover the compound’s purpose once it is cleared.”  
  
Sara cut the wheel, sending the Nomad drifting into a corner and then slammed it into six-wheel drive to climb a steep hill. Through the windshield Reyes could just make out the silhouette of a large structure perched at the top of the mesa, and his heart-rate sped up with anticipation. The Nomad accelerated and Sara kicked off the six-wheel drive just as the vehicle reached the top of the incline; she whooped again when the tires lifted off of the ground.  
  
There was nothing subtle about their approach. The engine roared as Sara floored it, the vehicle hurtling directly towards the compound, seemingly unconcerned with the vehicles and blast shields that served as the Kett’s first line of defense. The Pathfinder waited until a collision seemed imminent to slam on the brake and cut the wheel, sending the Nomad into a skid.  
  
“Hold on,” she called through clenched teeth, and the vehicle rocked as it collided with one of the Kett fortifications. Once everything stilled, the Pathfinder team leapt into action, exiting the Nomad from the passenger side and using the vehicle for cover.  
  
“Pathfinder,” SAM spoke. “I am sensing extreme cold.”  
  
No one seemed to care what the AI sensed as they pressed their backs to the passenger side of the Nomad. Sara rested against the front quarter panel, her Equalizer drawn and poised beside her head, ready to aim.  
  
“Scott,” she said. “You know the drill.”  
  
Her twin moved into sight, nodding to her as he shifted the barrel of his Isharay to rest on the hood of the all-terrain vehicle. “Got it,” he breathed through the comm, and then activated his tactical cloak.  
  
“Liam,” she continued. “Watch his flank.”  
  
“Roger that,” came the reply.  
  
Sara stood, her sights ignoring the rushing Chosen to settle on an Anointed that stood in the center of the ramp that led up into the Kett base.  
  
And then the video stream distorted into streaks of gray, purple, and blue.  
  
“SAM?” Panic chilled Reyes’ voice, even as his heart hammered in his chest. The AI didn’t answer, and for a split second he feared that something had gone wrong with his connection to the Pathfinder. And then the world phased back into focus as Sara rammed forcefully into the Anointed with the warping crackle of biotics.  
  
Reyes blinked at the screen a few times as his brain processed the fact that he’d just witnessed a biotic charge from Sara’s perspective. But, before he could dwell on the thought and start to analyze the pieces, the Anointed raised its over-sized Gatling gun.  
  
Sara didn’t hesitate, pulling up her biotic shield to ricochet the bullets back at the Kett, tearing away its armor. She finished it off with a Lance to its head and then picked her next target.  
  
And so the Pathfinder and her team worked through the outer defenses of the Kett compound, Sara weaving a chaotic path from enemy to enemy while Scott’s sniper rifle took down any targets that tried to flank her. Liam guarded her twin and dispatched any Kett the Pathfinder left standing.  
  
“Pathfinder,” SAM said. “Atmospheric toxicity is reaching critical levels. I suggest you move inside immediately.”  
  
“Working on it, SAM,” Sara growled as she threw another Lance into the shocked face of a Chosen. The energy blasted the creature in the face with such force that it spun away from the Pathfinder to fall dead at her feet. And then everything was still. She swept the field with her weapon drawn, though she’d only fired it a couple of times, and then sprinted for the door.  
  
“Move!” Sara shouted. She slammed the lock mechanism, and the door slid open just in time to permit Liam to run through it, Scott close on his heels, his Isharay on his back and his Sidewinder in hand. Sara didn’t hesitate to follow after her brother, and the screen went black as the vidfeed adjusted to the dim interior.  
  
“Pathfinder,” SAM spoke into the darkness over her panting. “Temperature is within acceptable limits.”


	26. Conscientious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Surprise! I'm back with a whole new chapter! Enjoy!

“Upload complete,” SAM said. The AI’s voice was drowned out by the blast of a biotic explosion. A Destined flew back in a sizzling stream of blue and purple light, the final Kett in a wave of dozens. Sara peeked up from their makeshift cover of heavy, metal desks and laboratory tables, confirming that all the enemies were down.  
  
When she dropped her pistol Scott dismissed his Annihilation Field and straightened up from his crouched position.  
  
“Well,” he said with false cheer. “That was fun.” He searched the room, taking in the bodies strewn around them, and grinned at his twin.  
  
Sara rolled her eyes at her brother and turned her attention back to the terminal they’d been hacking. She frowned at the computer, her exhaustion finally catching up to her. “Wipe everything, SAM,” she said.  
  
“Right away, Pathfinder.”  
  
“Uh,” Scott started. “Sis?”  
  
She didn’t look at Scott or Liam as she walked back toward the entrance of the compound. “We’re here to be a thorn in their side,” she said. “I’m taking this intel from them.”  
  
“We don’t even know if it’s worth taking,” her twin argued.  
  
“Preliminary translations suggest this planet was once highly valued by the Jardaan,” SAM added.  
  
“Wait,” Liam stammered, stopping in his tracks. “What does that mean?”  
  
“The Kett appear to be researching the Jardaan,” SAM concluded.  
  
Sara glared back at her brother. “I’d say that’s worth it. SAM, forward the data to Peebee and Jaal, get them working on it.”  
  
“Of course, Ryder,” SAM replied.   
  
Sara hurried out of the building, trying not to see the Kett bodies that littered every hall in an ominous trail to freedom. She ignored SAM when the AI announced the change in temperature as she exited the building and jogged back to the Nomad.  
  
The Pathfinder team climbed back into the Nomad without another word, until Sara kicked the vehicle into gear.  
  
“Let’s get the hell off this rock,” Sara said, and she slammed the accelerator to the floor and rocketed back down the hill.  
  
  
  


By the time Sara pulled off her armor, showered, and had her debrief with Lexi, she was nearly dead on her feet. She had every intention of heading straight to her quarters until she smelled the aroma of last night’s roast heating in the kitchen.  
  
She poked her head into the galley to see Reyes rummaging through the refrigerator. As tired as she was, the sight of him in his black pants and white t-shirt, bent over with his back to her, sent a rush of desire through her. It had been a tiring day of trying not to die, and suddenly she very much wanted to prove she was still alive.  
  
Sara grinned. She took him by surprise when she pushed his back against the refrigerator. His amber eyes were wide, and a small grunt escaped his lips just before she pressed her body to his.   
  
“Ryder,” he breathed, her name pushed from him as she grazed her teeth along his exposed collarbone. The collar of his t-shirt was tugged at an angle thanks to her ambush, and it revealed a generous stretch of bronze skin. Her mouth paved a trail up his neck, her teeth nipping at the sensitive skin where his neck met his jaw.  
  
Reyes’ head thunked back against the fridge and he moaned.  
  
“Shh,” she said. She grinned when she caught his frustrated glare, and then took her time, luxuriating in the subtle scrape of the fine stubble of his jaw against her lips. Only then did she press her mouth to his. It was meant to be a scorching kiss, teasing and promising more for later. But instead Sara found herself almost clinging to his lips, reassured of her continued survival by the very taste of him.  
  
“We’re going to get caught,” he cautioned once they broke apart.   
  
“I thought you didn’t care what the crew thought?” She asked between kisses.  
  
“I never said that.” He shook his head slightly, but not enough to really break away from her mouth.   
  
Sara glanced up at him, surprised at his response, but his eyes were closed. He relaxed his head back against the fridge.  
  
“I said I didn’t care about Liam,” he continued, smirking.  
  
Sara bit down on his collarbone until he hissed.   
  
“¡Está bien! Me retracto.”  
  
“I don’t know what you said,” she said. She looked up at him, a smug smile on her face. “But I accept your apology.”  
  
He laughed, the sound soft and full, and Sara was mesmerized by the movement of his Adam’s apple just beneath his skin.  
  
“Seriously, though,” he continued, his hands dropping to her hips. “You meant it when you said you wanted us to be…” he trailed off, searching for the right word.   
  
“Conscientious?” Sara offered.  
  
“Si, Princesa.” He smiled. “You wanted to be conscientious. I’m just trying to keep you that way.”  
  
Sara rolled her eyes, but gave him some more space. She still stood between his legs, but she wasn’t quite pressed against him. “Fine,” she groused, and poked him the chest with one finger. “But don’t think you’re off the hook!”  
  
He grinned at her, white teeth flashing, and an expectant thrill ran through her. “I should certainly hope not,” he purred.  
  
Sara flushed at his tone, her cheeks and ears burning even as she kept her expression careful and cool. She opened her mouth to say something snarky, but was interrupted.  
  
“Is something burn- Oh!” Suvi’s face burned as bright as her red hair as she took in the pair still pressed against the refrigerator. “Oh! I’m sorry!” She stammered, covering her face in embarrassment and backing out of the room.  
  
Sara laughed as Reyes pushed her away to check on his dinner still in the oven. She didn’t even try to keep up with the furious stream of Spanish that poured from him as he pulled the roast out and waved a towel to bat the smoke away. She couldn’t catch her breath, and fell back to lean against the table, still cackling.  
  
“What could possibly be so funny?” Scott asked as he turned into the galley. His pale blue eyes widened as he took in the scene, looking between his twin and the Charlatan, and then he lifted both arms above his head in triumph. “Yes!” He shouted. “Reyes burned something!” He turned on his heel and hurried out to inform the rest of the crew.  
  
Sara only laughed harder, wiping fruitlessly at the tears that streaked down her cheeks. After a moment she managed to get control of herself, and then Reyes glared at her and she fell back into a fit of giggles all over again.  
  
“Oh?” Reyes arched a dark brow at her, his amber eyes dark and dangerous. “You think that’s funny?”  
  
Sara tried to sober herself, recognizing the change in his tone and expression. But, not even the Charlatan could keep her from chuckling.  
  
“I’m hungry, Ryder,” he said, stepping closer to her. “And now my dinner is ruined.” Another step. Sara’s chuckles died off, and she had to consciously fight the urge to try and escape him as closed the distance between them. “And you’re laughing at me?”  
  
She bit her lip and shook her head. She tried her best to look apologetic, but she knew it was too little too late. She watched him as his eyes trailed over her, wondering what he had planned, and then he pounced.  
  
She had never once confided in Reyes that she was ticklish, nor had they ever engaged in a tickle war before. But Sara was ticklish, dreadfully so, and as his clever fingers found the spots on her rib cage that sent a jolt through her, she screamed.  
  
It only encouraged him to tickle her more, and when she bolted away from him, he followed her to her quarters grinning the whole way.  
  
  
  


Reyes lay in the Pathfinder’s bed, watching the subtle rise and fall of her ribs as she slept. He wanted to touch her, to feel the warmth of her soft skin against his fingertips and reassure himself that this was real. She was real, and whole, and sleeping beside him. But, he didn’t want to wake her.   
  
She never told anyone, as far as he was aware, but she didn’t sleep well. She was often restless, tossing and turning, and when she did sleep soundly her slumber was tainted with vivid dreams. She wouldn’t talk about them, even when he asked, so instead he held her until her breathing slowed and she slipped back into sleep. She’d been this way even before they’d broken up, and probably since Ryder-1, if not before that.  
  
And so Reyes kept his hands to himself, and listened to the sound of her breathing. She slept best when he was there, when they’d exhausted one another to the point that she could fall directly into the blissful dark sleep that would do her the most good. Usually it was the same for him, but just then his mind was anxious, flitting over information as he tried to plan for the weeks to come.  
  
His engineers arrived in Alcaeus a couple hours before, and he was waiting on a diagnostic report. It was the last variable, the last unknown that he needed to solve in order to put all the pieces together. Until they were done he couldn’t know the full extent of the repairs the Keelah Si’yah needed, so he didn’t have a timeline for when they could go home. And every day in Alcaeus was a day the Pathfinder played cat and mouse with the Kett.  
  
He refocused his attention on her, and smiled. Her face was serene, the way it only was when she slept. No worry lines marred her otherwise youthful face, her lips were full and parted slightly instead of tugged down and pressed into a hard line. She didn’t notice the changes her role had caused, and he was sure he couldn’t catalog them all, since he hadn’t known her before she was the Pathfinder. But, in the wee hours of the night he caught a glimpse of the woman she used to be, the woman she might have been, and Reyes mourned her.  
  
He watched her for a moment more, trying to memorize her in that moment, and then his omnitool buzzed at his wrist. Carefully, he left the bed, pulling on his boxers and stepping out into the quiet ship. It was late, but it was possible some of the crew might still be moving around, so he walked into the bathroom before he answered the call.  
  
“Keema,” he greeted as the vidfeed flickered to life.  
  
His lieutenant’s features always looked wrong in the orange tinge of his omnitool, but he could tell right away that she didn’t have good news for him. Her mouth was tight at the corners, and her wide eyes were guarded instead of twinkling with her usual humor.  
  
“What is it?” He asked, leaning with his back against a wall.  
  
“Pok and her engineers have concluded their diagnotics,” she said.  
  
His brow furrowed. He wasn’t much of an engineer, but that seemed awfully fast. “Already?”  
  
“Yes,” she said. “I’m not fluent in all the science, but the report I’m forwarding is comprehensive.”  
  
His omnitool pinged, alerting him of a new message. “So what’s the damage?”  
  
She sighed. “The ark doesn’t have enough power to allow for the extensive repairs needed to bring it back to Heleus.”  
  
Reyes didn’t speak for a moment as he worked through the issue. “If the Pathfinders dock, could the ark get more energy? Like the Nexus was designed to?”  
  
Keema nodded. “Yes, and Pok already considered that, and included it in her report.”  
  
Of course she had. The Salarian was nothing if not a genius. “Viability?”  
  
Keema shrugged. “One hundred percent,” she said. “But it would require all three ships.”  
  
He groaned. “Which leaves no ships to place the probes.”  
  
“Perhaps the Tempest…?”  
  
He shook his head. He didn’t want to add more to Sara’s already overloaded plate. “Did Pok calculate other combinations of docked ships?”  
  
The angara rubbed her eyebrow, as if fending off an incoming headache. “Yes,” she sighed. “She’s convinced that using all three ships is the only way to avoid any collateral damage to the Pathfinders’ vessels if there’s some sort of…” She trailed off. She glanced at him apologetically. “I’m sorry, Reyes. I really don’t understand most of what she said. It’s in the report.”  
  
He nodded, his eyes distant as he considered their options.  
  
“Are you… shirtless?” Keema asked after a moment.  
  
“What?” He looked down at himself. “Oh, yeah.”  
  
“I’m sorry if I interrupted anything,” she said, her tone far from apologetic.  
  
He waved her off, still distracted by the news she’d delivered. “She’s sleeping.”  
  
Keema clapped and cheered. “Yes! Finally! It took you long enough,” she chided.  
  
He scowled at her face on the vidscreen.   
  
“Oh, don’t give me that look,” she said. “We both know this was just a matter of time. The two of you in the same room is like mediating talks between Paaran Shie and Efvra.”  
  
His brow furrowed and his nose wrinkled. “Boring?”  
  
She glared at him. “Intense.”  
  
He snorted, and then turned the conversation back to business. “Tell Pok to dock all three ships for now and get started on what repairs she can. Priority is getting that ark FTL ready.”  
  
Keema watched him for a moment, her eyes wide and concerned.  
  
“What?” He sighed, running a hand through his hair.  
  
“Is this the sort of decision you should be making on your own?”  
  
“It’s temporary,” he said. “I’ll talk to Sara in the morning about what are options are, after I’ve read Pok’s report.”  
  
“And that’s okay?” Keema asked carefully.  
  
He ran a frustrated hand over his face. “It’s going to have to be.”  
  
“Reyes,” she started, but the door to the bathroom opened, cutting her off.  
  
“Oh,” Liam said. “Sorry.”  
  
“It’s fine,” Reyes said, pushing off the wall. “Thanks for the update,” he said to Keema. He watched her nod her reply, and then disconnected the call.  
  
“Did you need the room, or…?” Liam asked. He was shirtless, and glistening with a fine sheen of sweat. He probably wanted to shower after his workout.  
  
“Just for that,” Reyes said shaking his head. He cleared his throat, acutely aware that he was only in his underwear. So much for conscientious. “Room’s all yours.”  
  
Liam nodded. “Thanks.” He stepped further into the room, and started up the shower as Reyes made to leave. “Hey, Vidal?”  
  
Reyes froze in the doorway, his back to Liam.   
  
“I know… you know.”  
  
Reyes turned to look at the man, and it was plain that he was uncomfortable. But he wasn’t hurt or angry.  
  
Liam cleared his throat. “Suvi was the only one that thought it would take more than two weeks,” he said. “SAM told her today that she didn’t win.” He smirked. “And that was before she walked in on you two in the kitchen.”  
  
Reyes rolled his eyes. “She hardly ‘walked in’ on anything.”  
  
Liam grinned. “That’s not how she tells it.”  
  
“I’m sure it isn’t.” He considered Liam for a moment. “Do you know who won the bet?”  
  
The younger man nodded. “Vetra. I, uh… didn’t ask what she wagered.”  
  
Reyes nodded. That was probably for the best. “Good night, Kosta,” he said instead.  
  
“Good night, Vidal.”  
  
He didn’t waste time and left the man to his shower. When he stepped through into Sara’s room she was sitting up in bed, clutching the sheets to her chest and squinting against the light from the hall.  
  
“Reyes?” She rasped. “Where’d you go?”  
  
For a second he considered keeping news of Keema’s call to himself until morning. He just wanted her to have a night of peace before she was saddled with more problems and decisions. But, that would be in direct violation of their carefully brokered terms.  
  
“Keema called,” he said as he climbed back into the bed. He lay back, pulling her down to snuggle against his chest.  
  
She hummed into the crook of his neck. “You were waiting to hear about the ark,” she mumbled.  
  
“Yeah,” he said. When she didn’t speak right away he thought she might have drifted back to sleep.  
  
“That bad?” She asked finally, her voice rough and thick with sleep.  
  
“It’s not ideal, that’s for sure.”  
  
She huffed, and ran a hand through her hair. “Can it wait until morning?”  
  
He looked down at her, at her crinkled brow and eyes squeezed shut against the looming responsibility. He rubbed her shoulder, and kissed her hair.  
  
“Yes, Princesa.” He pulled her tighter against him. “I made a temporary call while you slept. Things can wait until morning.”  
  
“After coffee?” Her voice was hopeful, almost childlike.  
  
He chuckled. “Like I could get you to consider doing anything before you had your coffee.”  
  
She hummed in satisfaction. “You know me so well.”  
  
Another moment went by as he considered whether or not to tell him about his conversation with Liam. He could tell from her breathing that she wasn’t quite asleep yet, and he was trying to be honest. Communicative. Why was it so hard to do?  
  
“I can hear you thinking,” she mumbled.  
  
He laughed. “I ran into Liam while I was out there.”  
  
“Oh?”  
  
“I only had on my boxers.”  
  
She leaned up onto one elbow to look him in the eye. “Oh.” She chewed her lip. “How’d that go?”  
  
“Surprisingly well.” He smirked. “Apparently Suvi was the only one who thought we’d make it this far. SAM informed her of her loss today.”  
  
Sara groaned and flopped back down onto his chest. She ignored his exaggerated grunt as she nuzzled back into place. “So everyone knows we’re sleeping together?”  
  
“Seems likely,” he said.  
  
She smiled against his neck. “So, there’s no sense in you leaving tonight.”  
  
Reyes shook his head, a smile of his own creeping onto his face. “No sense at all.”  
  
“And tomorrow night?” She asked, her voice small.  
  
He tightened his arm around her. “I’ll sleep here as often as you’ll have me.”  
  
“Hmmm, good.” She took a deep breath and wiggled against him, settling into place with her head on his shoulder. “I sleep better when you’re here.”  
  
He ran his fingers through her hair, his touch gentle and soothing. “Me too,” he murmured after a moment, but Sara didn’t hear him. She was fast asleep against him, her weight on his chest and against his side solid, warm and so wonderfully real.  
  
It didn’t take long for her steady breaths to lull him into his own comfortable dreams, full of warm breezes, desert suns, and water the brightest shade of aqua he’d ever seen.


	27. Problem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here's the next chapter, with a heapin' helpin' of fluff and a small dose of plot! Enjoy!

Sara groaned as the warmth at her back vanished, exposing her bare skin to the chill of the Tempest’s climate control.  
  
“I’ll be right back,” Reyes promised. There was a rustling sound as he pulled on his pants and t-shirt from the night before. Sara huffed.  
  
“With coffee?”  
  
He chuckled, the remnants of sleep making it rumble even lower in his throat. “Si, Sarita,” he said. “With coffee.”  
  
She sighed and pulled the sheet up to cover her shoulders. A moment later the door opened and he was gone. She lay in the quiet solitude of her room, dozing, her mind wandering through various avenues of thought. Reyes, the Keelah Si’yah, Reyes, Joh’Zolan’s serious attitude problem, Reyes…  
  
When the door opened again the rich, warm fragrance of coffee brought a smile to her lips. She opened her eyes to find Reyes standing at her bedside, one mug gripped by the handle in his right hand, the other dangling from the stronger fingertips of his left hand and held out for her.  
  
“A girl could get used to this,” she said as she sat up, taking the cup from him. She was careful to keep the sheets pulled up around her; now that she was awake she felt a little bashful that he was dressed and she wasn’t.  
  
His lips smirked at her comment, but his eyes were serious as he watched her sip at her mug. He sat in the armchair nearest to the bed and waited for her to come to life. She wondered at his quiet and serious demeanor, but she knew he’d tell her soon enough; if he’d planned to keep it to himself he’d work harder to keep things light.  
  
She sighed over her coffee. He claimed she knew him better than anyone, but half the time Sara felt like she was just faking it when she got something right. It was frustrating, and exhilarating all at once.  
  
Finally, her mug was empty by the time she felt ready for whatever he needed to say. “Okay,” she said, setting the mug down on her bedside table.  
  
He cleared his throat and pulled up his omnitool. “Keema called last night, and sent this report.”  
  
Her omnitool pinged, announcing the arrival of a new message. “Sounds ominous,” she said. She threw off the covers and stood to dress. Despite the business-like tone of their morning so far, Reyes didn’t bother to keep his eyes from gazing over her. She smirked when their eyes met, and he huffed, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back into his seat. Somehow, he managed to make her standard Initiative armchair look like a throne.  
  
“It’s from my lieutenant in charge of the engineers.”  
  
Sara opened the document and scanned over it. The report made it apparent that the Collective agent was a mechanical genius, but that was about all Sara could glean from it.  
  
“I might need to call Gil in on this one,” she said, dismissing her omnitool.  
  
Reyes grinned, then tilted his head to consider her, his amber eyes bright. “Are you hungry?”  
  
“Are you cooking?” She pulled on her long-sleeved Initiative t-shirt.  
  
His grin widened as she stood, and Sara had the distinct impression that she’d managed to fall into some sort of trap.  
  
“Come on,” he said, and they stepped out into the hall.  
  
Immediately a loud whoop came from the galley. Sara turned to see Peebee, Jaal, and Gil grinning at her from the kitchen table. She blushed and froze in the galley doorway to glare at Reyes.   
  
“What?” He asked, his face blank and innocent, but his eyes glowed with mischief. He placed a hand on her waist, at which Peebee whooped again, and moved Sara to the side so he could enter the room.  
  
She blushed as she followed him into the galley, the comforting smells of family breakfasts easing some of her embarrassment.   
  
“Sis,” Scott greeted from the stove. “One or two?” It was the only question he needed to ask; by now he knew all the important details of Sara’s breakfast preferences.   
  
She scooted onto the booth beside Gil as Reyes made for the coffee pot on the counter. “Two,” she replied.  
  
Her brother cracked two eggs into a skillet, and Reyes dropped two pieces of bread into the toaster. Then he sat across from her, bearing a fresh cup of coffee for each of them.   
  
“Thank you,” she murmured before taking a sip. He merely inclined his head before doing the same.   
  
The sound of eggs sizzling in the pan, and the gentle slurp of hot coffee through cautious lips filled the room. Sara could almost convince herself that it was a typical morning in the Ryder household. But, Scott didn’t hum while he cooked like their mother did, and there were no sleepy mumbles as her brother teased her for sleeping in again.   
  
Instead, Gil grinned beside her and Peebee practically vibrated with barely contained excitement. Sara took a deep breath and met Reyes’ gaze. For a moment his amber eyes were soft, concerned, but then they hardened with determination and a glint of humor. He gave her a small nod, then took another sip of his coffee. Sara sighed and set her mug down.  
  
“All right,” she said to the room. “Let’s hear it.”  
  
“What?” Peebee asked, focusing back on her plate. Her tone was careful enough that Sara wanted to scream. Instead, she rolled her eyes.  
  
“Please,” she snorted. “You’re about to go supernova, you’re so excited to tease me.”  
  
Peebee turned wide, green eyes on Sara, exaggerated shock on her face. “Ryder! I would never tease you!” She sniffed in indignation and looked back at her food as she cut her fried egg in half. “Besides, teasing you is a Vidal job now.”  
  
Sara blushed, but otherwise didn’t react. Reyes smirked at her from behind his mug.  
  
“Peebee,” Gil admonished from Sara’s other side. “You make it sound like it’s all work, work, work.” The engineer winked at Reyes, and Sara groaned. “I’m sure there are some aspects he finds… pleasurable.”  
  
Reyes chuckled, Sara blushed, but it was Scott who decided he’d heard enough.  
  
“All right,” he cried, plating up Sara’s eggs, over-medium with toast, just how she liked them. “That’s enough! I’m liable to slip into another coma if we keep talking about my sister’s sex life.”  
  
“We can’t have that,” Reyes chimed in. “We’d have no Gil buffer.”  
  
Peebee snorted and even Jaal cracked a smile. Scott grinned as he sat Sara’s plate down in front of her, the toast cut in half on the diagonal like their mother used to do.  
  
“I’m not that bad,” Gil sulked.  
  
Scott and Sara both tilted their heads, an identical, unsure groan coming from them both. Jaal’s booming belly-laugh filled the galley and Sara grinned.   
  
_This is better_ , she thought as the galley filled with easy conversation. She sat in silence, finishing her breakfast as Reyes joined in with the banter between Scott and Gil. Once her plate was cleaned, she took a last sip of her coffee and then cleared her throat. The kitchen fell silent and she pulled up her omnitool.  
  
“We got the diagnostic report from the Collective engineers,” she said.  
  
“And?” Scott and Gil asked in unison.  
  
She forwarded the report to Gil. “It’s pretty dense,” she admitted. “Read it over and let me know what you think.”  
  
Reyes cleared his throat. “It’s not good news,” he said.   
  
“Oh?” Sara asked.  
  
“Damage is extensive,” the engineer conceded. He was already reading through the report, his eyes glued to the quickly scrolling stream of data.  
  
“The ark doesn’t have the power to perform the necessary repairs,” Reyes said. He avoided her eyes as he stood and poured himself another cup of coffee.  
  
Gil looked up sharply, brow furrowed. “What if they docked the Pathfinder ships and rerouted power?”  
  
Reyes nodded. “That’s what my chief engineer suggested.”  
  
Sara glanced between the two of them, certain that there was more to it than what either had said. “But…?”  
  
Gil kept scrolling and sighed. “But, it’s going to take all three ships.”  
  
Reyes nodded in agreement when Sara looked to him for confirmation. “I was hoping Gil might come to a different conclusion.”  
  
The engineer shook his head. “Your engineer got the right of it.” He paused his scrolling to read something closer. “The ark will need all three ships, at least until life-support and artificial gravity can function without interfering with every other system.”  
  
“Which means we have no ships to place the probes,” Scott said.  
  
“At least until the major repairs are completed,” Reyes agreed.  
  
“Timeline on that?” Sara asked.   
  
“As of this report, that hadn’t been established yet.”  
  
“Repairing those major functions should be the top priority,” Gil said. “We can’t even begin to address overall space-worthiness before we get life-support and artificial gravity up and running.” He grimaced. “That’s going to about… three weeks at minimum.”  
  
“Three weeks!” The twins cried.   
  
“That’s being relatively optimistic,” Gil added.  
  
Sara sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “Okay,” she said, glancing at Reyes. “Let your lieutenant know that she has the Pathfinders’ ships until those minimum repairs are done.”  
  
“Already done,” he said with a nod.  
  
“What?”  
  
He stilled, his shoulders tense as he met her gaze to explain. “I made the call last night,” he said, and then shrugged the tension away, slipping into a mask of calm. But his eyes were wary still, judging her reaction. “I told Keema I’d let her know if the plan changed.” Despite his nonchalant demeanor as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the counter, Sara could feel the tension he radiated.  
  
Probably because it rebounded off her own tight shoulders and neck as she registered what he said. “You made the call?” She echoed.  
  
“Uh-oh,” Peebee said. She shoved Jaal out of the booth. “I just remembered, we didn’t finish translating all those files Ryder gave us.”  
  
“I completed those translations forty-eight hours ago, Ms. B’Sayle,” SAM said.  
  
“Shut up, SAM!” The asari hauled Jaal after her and out of the room.  
  
Scott cleared his throat. “Um, yeah,” he stammered. “We have that thing, babe.” He gestured to Gil, who rolled his eyes.  
  
“Right,” he drawled. “That thing we conveniently remembered so that we don’t have to be here.”  
  
Scott glared at him, but the engineer followed his boyfriend dutifully from the room, shutting the door behind them.  
  
“Sara,” Reyes started.   
  
“This is exactly what we talked about, Reyes!” She stood from the table, her anger bubbling over now that they were alone.   
  
He shook his head. “This was temporary,” he said. “Keema knew it. My agents knew it. I made the call while you slept, but it was made perfectly clear that orders were subject to change.”  
  
“You agreed,” she said, shaking her head. “You agreed to keep me informed in real time!”  
  
His warm, amber eyes held her gaze, his posture carefully neutral; he was neither threatening, nor was he backing down. “I did the best with what I had.” His eyes shifted between hers, studying her face and body language. Reading her. “I made the decision I thought you would make.” His voice softened, his shoulders dropped slightly and his posture shifted just enough that Sara felt her own muscles relax despite herself.  
  
“Was I wrong?” He asked. The words were gentle, and the anger that bubbled up in her evaporated at the sound.  
  
“No,” she grumbled. She still stood in the center of the galley, unwilling to take the steps toward him and admit her defeat.  
  
So, Reyes did instead. He stood before her, his hands on either side of her neck, his thumbs tracing her jawline as he tilted her face up to look at him. “You have to trust me, Sarita,” he whispered. His eyes searched her face, lingering briefly on her lips before locking back on her eyes. “Do you trust me?”  
  
She was a fool. She’d picked a fight with him, made him doubt her, all because they agreed on how best to handle the ark’s repairs. As she looked up into his face the fear behind his eyes brought a sting to hers.  
  
“I trust you, Reyes.”  
  
“Calmate, Princesa,” he shushed her. “Esta bien.”  
  
She shook her head. “I’m sorry.”  
  
He kissed her, his lips brief on her own and then grinned. “That’s good,” he said. “Get all your apologies out now.”  
  
She frowned at him. “Why?”  
  
“Because you get to tell the Initiative that we’ve hit a snag in the plan.”  
  
  
  


Sara stood at the vidcon and tried not to cross her arms. Or cock her hip. Or roll her eyes. Listening to Tann and Addison argue meant that she’d failed at all three at least a dozen times.  
  
“Getting those colonists home safely is the whole point of this mission, Jarun.”  
  
“I am aware, Addison,” Tann drawled. “But it’s been almost two months. We need to expedite the process. We’ve wasted enough resources as it is.”  
  
“You would jeopardize the lives of twenty thousand colonists just to save a few credits?”  
  
“Of course not,” the salarian snapped. “I merely suggest that we complete the required repairs to see the Keelah Si’yah home, and then handle the rest ourselves.”  
  
Ah. There it was.  
  
Sara arched an eyebrow at the flickering blue image of the Initiative Director. “What’s the matter, Tann? Don’t trust our Collective allies to do the job right?”  
  
He leveled a hard stare at her, rendered only slightly less effective as his all black eyes were currently a pale blue thanks to the vidcon. “I do not trust them at all, Ryder,” he said. “If it weren’t for your own engineer’s assessment of the situation, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”  
  
Addison looked at Sara, a smug smile on her blue lips. “For once, I agree with Tann.”  
  
Sara crossed her arms. “Well, I don’t agree with either of you.”  
  
“Hardly surprising,” Addison said. “You’ve had a soft spot for the Collective ever since they took out Sloane.”  
  
“There are rumors, Ryder,” Tann added. “Disquieting rumors.”  
  
“Such as?” She had a pretty good guess already, but she wanted to hear it from them.  
  
“Such as you being in bed with the Charlatan,” Addison said.  
  
Sara’s blood went cold, but she forced a laugh. “Hard to sleep with someone when you don’t know who they are.”  
  
“You’re saying you don’t know who the leader of the Collective is?” Tann asked.  
  
“Sorry to disappoint,” she said. “But, I’ve only ever dealt with Collective lieutenants. The Charlatan is careful,” she added.  
  
“And what about this Vidal character?” Addison watched Sara carefully. “He seems… well connected.”  
  
“Reyes is a lot of things to a lot of people,” Sara answered with a shrug, echoing the words he’d said to her all those years ago in Umi’s shitty bar.  
  
“And what is he to you?”  
  
If it had been anyone but Foster Addison, Sara’s mask would have cracked. But, the Pathfinder disliked the woman enough that keeping her scowl in place was easy. “An appointed liaison between myself and our allies.”  
  
“And that’s all?”  
  
Sara bristled. “I’m not sure what you’re fishing for here, Addison, but I am sure I don’t care for it.”  
  
The woman smiled, the expression all the more grim for its weak, blue glow. “I’m sure you don’t.”  
  
“That’s enough,” Tann interrupted. When both women were silent for a moment, he cleared his throat and changed the topic. “You’ve made the best of a tenuous situation, Pathfinder. Good work.”  
  
Sara blinked. She hadn’t expected praise from the Director.  
  
“I look forward to you next report,” he continued. “In the meantime, be careful out there, Ryder.”  
  
She wasn’t sure what to say to that, so she merely nodded. Then the directors winked out of sight as the call ended. Sara stared at the space where Foster Addison’s likeness had wavered moments before, and then ran a hand through her hair. The Director of Colonial Affairs was a nuisance, as far as Sara was concerned, but the woman was far from stupid.   
  
Her pointed line of questioning could only mean one thing: she suspected Sara’s relationship with Reyes. And if that were the case, her initial accusation about the Charlatan was even more troublesome. She stood in the silence of the vidcon, chewing at her lip and wondering how best to broach the subject with Reyes when he appeared at the top of the ramp.  
  
She looked over at him, and then back to the conference table as he approached her.  
  
“That bad, huh?” He leaned a hip against the table and smirked at her.  
  
“Actually,” she said. “Tann told me ‘good work’.”  
  
Reyes’ dark brows knit together. “What? That actually happens?”  
  
“Pretty rarely,” she admitted. “And usually only when he feels sorry for me, or he knows he royally fucked up.”  
  
“Which was it this time?”  
  
She shook her head. “I’m not sure. Maybe a little of both.”  
  
“What the hell happened on that vidcall?” He grinned at her, and the last thing Sara wanted was to wipe that expression from his face. But, there was no way she could keep this from him. They’d both agreed they would keep each other informed, in real time. That meant now.  
  
“Reyes,” she said, and the serious tone of her voice straightened his spine and intensified his gaze on her. “Who, beyond this ship, knows about us?”  
  
He frowned. “Keema’s the only one I’ve told, and Kian has probably worked it out for himself. But, it’s no secret among the Collective that you’re… of special interest to the Charlatan.”  
  
She nodded, worrying her lip between her teeth again. “And who, beyond this ship, knows you’re the Charlatan?”  
  
His amber eyes hardened, and she didn’t miss his pale knuckles as he clenched the edge of the table. “Keema, Kian, and a handful of lieutenants.” He watched her for a moment, but his stillness gave away the fear that gripped him. “Sara, what happened on that vidcall?”  
  
She looked up at him and took a steadying breath. “I think we might have a problem.”


	28. Danger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh my goodness! I have missed this fic and I am so ready to get back to it after an extremely successful NanoWriMo. I've started writing chapter 30, and as a show of good faith, I give you this update! Thanks for sticking with Santa Sarita all this time!

Reyes didn’t handle Sara’s news very well. If she had been anyone else, he would have hid behind the mask of the Charlatan as she spoke about Addison’s near guesses. He could have kept his voice chill and his expression rigid, if she had been one of his lieutenants, or even Keema. But she wasn’t, and so he couldn’t.  
  
That didn’t mean he didn’t try, but Sara poked and prodded, questioning his stillness until his careful control snapped.  
  
“What about one of your lieutenants?” She asked from where she sat at the foot of her bed.  
  
Reyes spun on her, the first time he’d stopped pacing since they’d locked the door behind them. “It could just as easily be one of yours,” he snarled. “Cora, probably. She always hated me.”  
  
Sara rolled her eyes. “Cora only hated you because she thinks you’re trouble for me, and she’s hardly Addison’s biggest fan.”  
  
“Who is?” He snorted.  
  
She shrugged. “Not me.”  
  
Reyes continued to pace, his mind racing as he tried to collate data he didn’t have to solve a problem he wasn’t even sure was an actual threat.  
  
“Why target you?” He asked.  
  
Sara shrugged again. “I’m a royal pain in the ass, for Addison and Tann both. If they want to cut the Collective out of Initiative dealings, might as well remove me from the equation too.”  
  
He stared at her. “Why are you so calm?” He should have been the calm one, the one in control, not her.  
  
She grinned. “Because Addison forgets that I have friends who can make her life difficult.”  
  
“Kesh,” he said.  
  
“And Sid.”  
  
Reyes nodded, running a hand through his hair. “You work your contacts,” he said, ignoring Sara’s eye-roll. “I’ve got some calls of my own to make.” Keema was the only person he could trust, so that’s where he would start. He turned away from Sara, prepared to return to the biolab and get to work, when she reached out and took his hand.  
  
“It’s going to be okay, Reyes.” Her blue eyes were soft, the green centers darker than usual in the shadowy light of the Pathfinder’s quarters. She ran her thumb across the back of his hands, giving what little comfort she knew he’d be willing to accept.  
  
He smiled and hoped she couldn’t tell just how much effort it took. “I know, Princesa.” He bent down to kiss her softly. She smiled up at him, and though it reached her eyes, crinkling at the corners, he could see the concern that clouded them.  
  
That look in her eyes snapped at something inside him. The mask of the Charlatan slipped into place, comfortable and right. He needed the calculating coldness that came with the role to temper the rage that boiled deep in his chest. Someone was coming for him, sharing information about him to those who would see him erased. That was dangerous enough. But, they had threatened the Pathfinder in the process.  
  
There was nowhere in Andromeda that could protect them from the Charlatan now.  
  
  
  


Reyes sat in the biolab reading a constant stream of communication logs on his monitors. On a third terminal he listened to the video feed of Sara’s heads-up-display. It was the fourth Kett base they’d hit, and from the sound of things it was heavily defended. He wanted to watch, and did occasionally glance at the screen when Sara cried out or Scott yelled her name, but each time he did she was fine. So, he kept his eyes on the logs.  
  
It had been a slow process. First he’d called Keema and they’d developed a plan. She vetted his other lieutenants while he enlisted Kian to keep his ears open for anything about the Collective and the Initiative. With those lines cast, Reyes had spent almost a week searching official communications. When that didn’t turn up anything, he’d enlisted Lynx to help him hack certain private terminals. Another week later, and all the evidence pointed in one direction, and he didn’t like it.  
  
Meritus Vex had been one of his top lieutenants since Reyes left the Nexus. The turian was driven, a strong leader, and damn efficient. And, until recently, Reyes had believed him to be loyal to a fault. Streaming before his eyes was a long list of decrypted messages that proved him wrong.  
  
Reyes did not like being wrong, especially not when it came to his people. But, he had underestimated the turian’s bond to duty, and species.  
  
Tiran Kandros had somehow weaseled his way into Meritus’ favor. The Apex leader, in turn, took Vex’s information and delivered it to Addison. Reyes sighed. He would need to make a call to Keema soon and set things right.  
  
Sara gasped on the screen as both Liam and Scott shouted her name. Reyes’ eyes snapped over to the third monitor, but it took him a moment to recognize what he saw.  
  
The angle was wrong, for one thing. The vidfeed looked down on the alien face of a Kett Ascendant. And second, the entire screen was the wrong color. The flat, blank eyes stared up and out of the monitor from a field of rippling orange.   
  
Sara’s breathing was loud and ragged in the comm, and Reyes finally understood. The creature had her in its grasp. She dangled from its own brand of telekinetic energy, and if something didn’t happen soon, it would kill her.  
  
Reyes’ blood went cold. His eyes locked on the screen, unable to even blink at what could be the Pathfinder’s last moments. His other terminals ticked through weeks’ worth of comm logs, but they were already forgotten.  
  
There was the repetitive thud of sniper rifle fire as Scott tried to free his twin from the clutches of the Ascendant. There was even an electric crackle coursing over the orange energy as Liam did his best to save Ryder.  
  
Nothing worked.  
  
The reptilian face cracked into a smile. “The Archon will be most pleased,” the Kett said.  
  
The vidfeed drooped slightly, as if Sara couldn’t quite keep her head up, but she still panted. She still breathed. And then she said, “Doubt it.”  
  
Confusion barely registered on the Ascendant’s face when Reyes heard the sharp burst-fire of an Equalizer. The orange energy flickered out and three things happened at once.  
  
Scott fired his Isharay, the weapon’s projectile hitting the kett in the face, just below its left eye. Liam roared and discharged another Overload, electrocuting the Ascendant. And Sara screamed. It wasn’t a bone-chilling scream of pain, but a familiar scream of outrage and force.  
  
He’d heard that sound once before, on that catwalk in Ditaeon.  
  
The screen blurred into streaks of purple and blue, and all sounds warbled into silence. When the feed came back it was coupled with such a loud explosion that Reyes flinched. The Ascendant flew back and another shot from the Isharay rang through the room. The kett twitched and then Sara launched a Lance at its head. The creature didn’t move after that.  
  
Sara gasped, her breathing ragged and wet sounding, and dropped to one knee. Her HUD didn’t look up from the floor under her feet.  
  
“Sis,” Scott said, his voice suddenly close. “Are you okay?”  
  
She shook her head, jostling the vidfeed. “I’m fine,” she said. Her voice sounded worse than her breathing. She tried to stand, but dropped back down to her knees, probably because her brother held her down.  
  
“Bullshit,” he said. “You’re pale as shit and gushing blood from your nose.”  
  
Rifle fire startled them all, and Sara looked up to see Liam shooting the corpse of the Ascendant.  
  
“Just making sure,” he said.  
  
Sara chuckled, but the sound was all wrong. She sounded weary and broken.  
  
“SAM,” Reyes called to the room. “Tell Lexi to have the medbay ready.”  
  
“I have already alerted Dr. T’Perro as to Sara’s condition, Mr. Vidal.”  
  
He let out a sigh of relief as he listened to the twins bicker about who would drive back to the ship.  
  
“You can’t even hold your head up,” Scott snapped. “Liam is driving.”  
  
“Yeah,” their squadmate agreed. “This way we might actually make it back in one piece.”  
  
“I’m fine,” Sara repeated.   
  
Liam snorted. “You keep saying that, but I’ve got fifty credits that says Vidal shits a brick when he sees you.”  
  
Scott helped her into the back of the Nomad, and she groaned. She watched as her brother climbed in after her. “Is it really that bad?” She asked as the engine turned over and Liam threw the vehicle into gear.  
  
Scott winced as he leaned forward and helped her out of her helmet. The video feed was lost, but the comm audio remained.  
  
“I wouldn’t bet against Liam on this one,” Scott said.  
  
  
  


Sara lay blinking under the bright lights of the medbay. It hurt to look at it, even more than normal, but Lexi said that was to be expected. She’d rattled her implant, again. Turned out, the more she damaged it, the easier it was to keep damaging it. The good news was that her amp had successfully routed out the excess biotic energy, preventing more extensive damage to her implant and keeping her from frying the amplifier. Reyes’ gift had literally saved her life.  
  
That didn’t seem to make him very happy at the moment, however. He hovered at the edges of her vision, arms crossed and mouth turned down in what seemed to be a permanent scowl as he watched Lexi work. The doctor was talking to her, narrating the scans and procedures she performed, but Sara didn’t really listen. She trusted Lexi to do whatever was best, she didn’t need to know the details.  
  
Reyes prowled closer to her bedside, and she reached a hand out to him. He paused, blinking at her hand as if he didn’t understand what she wanted, and then took it in his own. She wanted to look at him, to tell him to his face that she was all right. Or, would at least be all right in a few days, but Lexi had her in a neck brace as a precaution, and that meant she looked straight ahead, up into the painful white light.  
  
The warmth of his hand in hers soothed her some, and her thoughts settled enough that she could finally focus on what the doctor said.  
  
“You can’t keep pushing the biotics like this, Ryder.” She sighed, and scrolled through a scan on her omnitool. “You were lucky, again. You should be back to normal in about a week, but no biotics until I approve them.”  
  
“Isn’t there something we could do to stabilize the implant?” Reyes asked. Sara thought that was a good question. Why hadn’t she thought of it? Oh, right. Head injury.  
  
Lexi shook her head. “Maybe back on the Nexus, when she’s not fighting entire attaches of kett every other day, we can look at some options, but here in the field?” She sighed. “The problem is the tissue your implant connects to,” she explained. “Every time you pull off some biotic stunt like this you weaken that connective tissue, which makes your implant more vulnerable to damage from physical and biotic trauma.”  
  
Sara blinked a few times. “I’m not sure I understood all that,” she admitted.   
  
Lexi smiled. “That’s because you’re sedated.”  
  
“When did that happen?” Her voice was thick, and her tongue felt heavy in her mouth.  
  
“About two minutes ago.”  
  
“Huh.” She looked over at Reyes, as much as she could. “I’m gonna be okay,” she promised. She wondered if her words came out right, because they didn’t seem to alleviate the fear that tugged his eyebrows so low over his amber eyes. “I’m ‘onna be oh-”  
  
She didn’t get any further than that before the drugs kicked in a knocked her out.  
  
  
  


When Sara woke, she was in her quarters and the lights were dimmed low. The next thing she noticed was that the neck brace was gone and she was able to move freely again. And then she noticed was that her bed was empty.  
  
“Reyes?” She called, unsure if she should really try to get out of bed just yet. But, he didn’t answer. She expected him to be waiting for her to wake, to either be laying with her or sitting in the chair nearest the bed, just like all the other times she’d been hurt on the job.   
  
Slowly, she sat up. She was pleasantly surprised to find that, other than a monstrous headache and some slight nausea, she felt relatively normal. But, that surprise faded as she confirmed that Reyes was not in the room.  
  
“Mr. Vidal is currently in the shower, Sara,” SAM offered. “Would you like me to alert him that you are awake?”  
  
Sara considered it, chewing her lip. “No thanks, SAM,” she said. “Let him enjoy his shower.”  
  
“As you like. Dr. T’Perro will be in shortly to check on you.”  
  
She sighed, “thanks, SAM.”  
  
“You are welcome, Ryder.”  
  
Sara sat on her bed staring out the enormous window, watching the stars flash by them as the Tempest cruised at FTL. She literally stared off into space until the door opening startled her.  
  
“Just me,” Lexi announced.  
  
“Hey, Lex,” Sara replied.   
  
The asari looked around the room then nodded. “Good,” she said. “He took my advice.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“I told him you’d be out for awhile and that he shouldn’t spend those hours moping by your bedside.”  
  
“Moping?” Sara had a hard time imagining Reyes moping.  
  
Lexi shined a penlight into each eye, which hurt enough that Sara flinched. “Still photosensitive I see.”  
  
“Yeah,” Sara admitted. “And the left side of my head is pounding.”  
  
“Any history of migraine in your family?” There was that concerned pout on the doctor’s lips.  
  
“Not that I know of.” Sara shrugged. “Mom researched biotics, and her L2 was… troublesome.”  
  
“Ah,” Lexi said. “She had migraines as a side effect of her implant?”  
  
“Sometimes.”  
  
“Not uncommon,” the doctor said. She put the penlight away, and pressed her cold hands to each side of her patient’s neck. “We’ll keep an eye on it, and do more scans if it doesn’t get better in a day or so. Any neck stiffness?”  
  
“A little.” Sara pointed to a spot on the left side of her neck and below her left shoulder blade.   
  
“I’ll administer a muscle relaxer,” she said as she released her grip on Sara’s neck. “Anything else you can think to tell me?”  
  
“Thank you,” she said. “I know I’m more trouble than I’m worth most days, but I wouldn’t be here without you.”  
  
Lexi rolled her eyes, but blushed a deep violet shade anyway. “You should thank that fancy AI of yours,” she said. “SAM does the majority of the dirty work.”  
  
“As I do not truly have a corporeal form, I cannot get ‘dirty’ Dr. T’Perro,” SAM said.  
  
Sara and Lexi stared at each other for a moment. Then Lexi burst out laughing. “That was a good joke, SAM!”  
  
“Thank you, Dr. T’Perro,” SAM said. “I have been practicing.”  
  
The doctor was still chuckling to herself when she left the room, letting Reyes in at the same time. He glanced at Sara, an eyebrow raised.   
  
“What’s she laughing about?”  
  
Sara chuckled. “SAM told her a joke.”  
  
“And it worked?”  
  
“I have been practicing, Mr. Vidal,” SAM said. “Would you like to hear it?”  
  
“Maybe later, SAM.” He looked at Sara, and the heaviness behind his eyes worried her. “I need to talk to Sara right now.”  
  
“Would you like me to give you and Mr. Vidal some privacy, Sara?” SAM’s voice spoke to her directly.   
  
“Yes, SAM,” she said out loud.  
  
Reyes watched her for a moment, and the troubled look on his face worried her.  
  
“I look that bad, huh?” She joked.  
  
“You haven’t looked in a mirror yet, have you?” His voice was soft.  
  
“No,” she said uncertainly. Did she actually look that bad?   
  
He took her hand and helped her up from the bed. Wordlessly he led her to her wardrobe, and to the mirror she’d hung there not long after she’d moved in. The view that looked back at her was not a pleasant one. Her face was pale and drawn, with dark circles under each eye. Her nose and upper lip were stained red from the nosebleed, despite Lexi’s efforts to clean it up. But the worst of it was her left eye. Bloodshot wasn’t the right term for how her eye looked.  
  
The whites of her eye had gone completely red, like her entire eye had been soaked in blood. Only the bright blue and green of her iris remained untainted. Shock rippled through her at the sight, and her hands came up to cover her mouth and nose in disbelief.  
  
Reyes rubbed her arm. He stood behind her, watching her reaction in the mirror. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “It looks worse than it is. The blood vessels burst, but there’s no permanent damage.”  
When her breathing didn’t settle, when she didn’t react to what he said, he pulled her face away from the mirror and turned her to face him. “You’re okay,” he promised.  
  
She stared at him, unblinking, convinced he would look away from her.  
  
He didn’t. “You’re okay,” he said again.  
  
Sara nodded, then she blinked back tears, and then she sobbed into his shirt.  
  
“Hush, Princesa,” he cooed, pulling her tight against him.   
  
She followed him as he backed up until he sat in the armchair and pulled her onto his lap. She cried, her arms around his neck and her face buried against his shoulder, and all the while he hushed her and promised that she was okay. As her tears dried out and the sniffling ceased, she realized that this was hardly the conversation Reyes had intended to have with her.  
  
She leaned back to look at him. “You wanted to talk with me?”  
  
He looked at her carefully, his amber eyes darting between hers. He smiled softly, and tucked a long strand of her sandy brown hair behind her right ear. “It can wait,” he said.

“Reyes,” she started to argue. His mouth found hers, soft and careful, and quickly silenced any argument she hoped to make.


	29. Promises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Happy Holidays! Here's another chapter! We're getting close to the end!

It was a calm week. The Tempest flew through the dark of space towards yet another planet, home to yet another Kett stronghold. But this time would be different; it would be better. Because this time he’d be with her.  
  
Reyes spent his week mindful of Sara’s recovery, and focused on his own physical therapy. That is, whenever Keema’s reports didn’t keep him occupied.  
  
Meritus hadn’t put up a fight when Collective forces came for him. He cooperated fully and agreed to imprisonment in the HQ holding cells until Reyes was back in the cluster. He hadn’t thought Kandros had it in him, but the APEX leader had blackmailed Vex. The turian was loyal, it turned out, but few loyalties ran deeper than blood.   
  
Meritus had a little sister, and despite the booming colonization efforts over the last year, she was still in cryo. That was Addison’s doing, no doubt. When Vex started poking around to see if he could get his sister out, Kandros struck a deal. Feed them Collective intel, and if it proved good, in time, his sister would be returned to him.   
  
Reyes squeezed the squishy blue therapy ball in his right hand as he read through Keema’s report for what felt like the millionth time. He understood Meritus’ situation. If it had been one of his brothers held hostage, suspended in the nothingness of cryo-sleep, he would do anything to free them.   
  
He understood, but that didn’t mean the turian was forgiven.  
  
There was damage control to be done, which was Keema’s current priority. Vex had been forthcoming about what he’d told Kandros, but now they needed to find out how far the information had traveled. Apparently Vex had been clever enough not to give the Charlatan’s identity away outright, but he’d dropped enough hints that Reyes could see how Addison felt confident prodding Sara about him. The woman might not be certain, but she was certainly much too close to the truth.  
  
As he poured through Nexus logs, searching for anything about himself or his organization, he dimly heard Sara yawn from behind him, near her bed. He’d let her sleep in. She was healing after all, though she maintained she was perfectly fine now that the last of the irritation in her eye had faded. His eyes darted across the screen of his omnitool, lost once more in his work.   
  
The press of her lips to the nape of his neck startled him; he hadn’t heard her footsteps.  
  
“You missed quite the show,” she murmured, her breath hot against his neck.  
  
“Oh?” He asked, never taking his eyes from his work.  
  
“Yeah,” she whispered. Her mouth trailed up his neck, lingered along his jaw, and then nibbled at his ear. It felt good, but he managed to keep his focus on his omnitool.  
  
“Do tell,” he breathed. He tilted his head to the left to give her room to work. Sara loved to play this game, to try and distract. He had to admit, it was one of his favorites too.  
  
Her lips were at his ear again, her voice pitched low and still raspy with sleep. “Me, stretching,” she said. Her hand trailed down his bare chest, her fingers barely grazing across his skin. “In just your t-shirt.”  
  
That image made him blink, and he instinctively let his head fall back against the sofa to grant her access to the fluttering pulse point at the bottom of his throat. He hissed as her teeth grazed the sensitive skin there, and the sound cut through the fog that threatened to overwhelm him. He cleared his throat and refocused on his omnitool.  
  
“That’s a shame,” he said, scrolling through the logs. But, it was purely for show, he didn’t read a single thing that passed over the screen. “Perhaps there will be a repeat performance?”  
  
She tisked and dragged her hands back up his chest. Her short nails scraped against his skin and he suppressed a shiver.   
  
“One time only, I’m afraid.” She shook her head and her long hair fell over one shoulder in a silky wave.  
  
The caress of her hands on his chest, the tickle of her hair as it ghosted across his skin, and the cocky tone of her voice as she teased him combined into a feverish craving low in his belly. He fell into that familiar smirk and let the heat in his blood pool into his eyes as he looked at her. Her eye was back to normal, and the week of solid sleep had done wonders for the dark circles that had lived under her eyes.  
  
“Oh,” he purred. “I guarantee there will be more than one.” There was no hiding the lust in his husky voice as he dragged his eyes over her face. He kissed her, and her mouth moved seamlessly with his, pulling a low moan from his throat. Her tongue darted out, parting his lips and demanding entrance, which he eagerly offered.  
  
He pulled the omnitool from his wrist, tossing the device away carelessly, and then he twisted on the couch, his hands at her hips to help her climb over the low-backed sofa and onto his lap. She settled above him, straddling his hips, and Reyes ran his hands through the long curtain of her hair. He pulled her face closer to his, his tongue unrelenting as it delved through her lips.  
  
Sara rocked her hips against him, and he broke their kiss long enough to curse. She sat back to look at him, her lip caught between her teeth. “I win,” she said, grinning.  
  
He pulled her back to him, one hand on the small of her back, pressing her heat against his lap as his lips returned to hers. “If this is your idea of a consolation prize,” he breathed. “I’ll gladly keep losing.”  
  
She laughed as he stood, his hands under her thighs to keep her against him as they walked to the bed.  
  
“If you sweeping me off my feet and carrying me to bed is my prize, I think we have an arrangement.”  
  
He kissed her neck, still holding her above the bed. “You’re talking way too much,” he breathed against her skin.  
  
She chuckled. “Would you prefer my mouth were otherwise occupied?”  
  
He dropped her on the bed then, and stared her down with his hottest gaze. “I can think of a few uses for those lips,” he growled.  
  
The blue in her eyes deepened, the green seemed to expand until her gaze was darker, dangerous and wanting. When he didn’t move toward her, she ran one foot up the inside of his leg, trailing the seam of his pants. “I’m listening.”  
  
He let out a sharp breath and hurried to unfasten his belt. It had been a long week of soft, careful touches. And as lovely and tender as they were, sometimes it just wasn’t enough.  
  
“Pathfinder,” SAM spoke aloud.  
  
“Not now, SAM,” Sara snapped.  
  
“I am afraid this cannot wait,” the AI continued.   
  
“What did I say about interrupting me when I’m…” she trailed off.  
  
“I am aware that I am currently in breach of your direct orders,” SAM said. “However, Pathfinder Joh’Zolan is available on vidcon.”  
  
Sara sat up to unbutton Reyes pants, evidently determined to ignore the AI’s urgent message. “Let Scott deal with it,” she said. “He’s my second in command for a reason.”  
  
“So you can fuck your boyfriend uninterrupted?” Reyes asked, smirking.  
  
“That would be nice every now and then,” she griped.  
  
“Scott has been speaking with the Quarian Pathfinder for the better part of a half an hour. However, the Pathfinder seems uncooperative.”  
  
Sara sighed. “Of course he does.”  
  
Reyes plopped onto the bed beside her, his pants unfastened and sinking lower on his hips. He exhaled a long and shaking breath. “Go,” he groaned. He waved at the door. “Just, go.” He covered his eyes with one hand and tried to get his breathing under control.  
  
“I’ll make it up to you,” she promised.  
  
He grunted, but smiled. “You’d better, you tease.”  
  
She chuckled humorlessly, but stood to find pants anyway.  
  
Reyes watched her wordlessly, enjoying the view just as he mourned it. Once dressed, she climbed onto the bed to kiss him deeply, and then left the room in a hurry.  
  
Once the door shut behind her Reyes groaned. “SAM?”  
  
“Yes, Mr. Vidal?”  
  
“I hate you a little bit right now.”  
  
“I understand, Mr. Vidal, and I apologize.”  
  
“Thanks, I guess,” he grumbled. And then stood to find his omnitool. If Sara was going to work, he should too.  
  
  
  


“We need to convene,” Joh’Zolan said. His image wavered slightly, the blue flickering like pale flame.  
  
Sara rolled her eyes. “And you couldn’t tell my brother because…?”  
  
The Quarian scoffed. “I’ll not be pawned off to your second in command.”  
  
It took a concerted effort not to groan in frustration. Instead she focused on her omnitool, typing a quick message to the Pathfinder.  
  
“I’m currently en route to these coordinates,” she said. “After that I can meet you anywhere you’d like.”  
  
“We should check back with the ark,” he said. “I want to take stock of the repairs and confer with Zoldat.” He didn’t bother to hide his disapproval and suspicion of the Collective, but she didn’t have the energy to argue with him about just then.  
  
She nodded. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll contact you when we’re on our way.”  
  
“Until then, Pathfinder,” Joh’Zolan said. “Happy hunting.”  
  
The image flickered out as the quarian ended the call. Sara ran a hand through her hair and sighed. She tried to keep Laela’s request in mind whenever she dealt with the Pathfinder, but treating him with patience and kindness was a difficult task.  
  
“Ryder,” Suvi’s voice came over the intercom. “We’ve reached our destination. Sending you the readings from the initial scans now.”  
  
“Thanks, Suv,” Sara replied. “SAM, let Scott know it’s show time, and tell Reyes to get his okay from Lexi.”  
  
“Of course, Sara.”  
  
Her omnitool pinged with Suvi’s readings as she walked down the ramp. She was halfway through the hall on her way to the bridge when SAM interrupted her.  
  
“Dr. T’Perro requests your presence in the medbay.”  
  
Sara’s heart leapt in her chest, and she ran to the ladder. Reyes had dutifully practiced he exercises Lexi had prescribed, and his grip strength had shown great improvement, but what if it wasn’t enough? She wasn’t sure she could handle the disappointment if he couldn’t accompany her on yet another away mission.  
  
The door opened, painfully slowly, to reveal Reyes sitting on one of the examination tables, grinning.  
  
“What’s wrong?” Sara asked.  
  
Lexi turned to face her, a broad smile on her lips. “Nothing’s wrong,” she promised. “I just wanted to get another scan of your implant before I release you for duty.”  
  
“Oh.” Sara blinked at them, but Reyes didn’t meet her eyes. “So he’s…”  
  
“Reyes is fine,” the doctor assured her.  
  
“On that note,” he said, sliding down off the table. “I’m going to get suited up.” He grinned at her, though it didn’t reach his eyes, and stopped to press a quick kiss to her cheek before he hurried from the room.  
  
Sara glared after him, and then spun on Lexi. “He put you up to this.”  
  
Lexi smiled at her and gestured at the bed. Sara lifted herself up onto the table with an annoyed huff.  
  
“He’s concerned about you, Sara,” the doctor said a moment later. Her cold fingers kneaded and prodded at Sara’s neck. “He wanted to be sure you’re up for this mission.” She pulled up her omnitool. “Look here,” she directed, drawing Sara’s attention to the two fingers beside the asari’s face.  
  
Sara followed the blue fingers with her eyes as Lexi scanned her brain. The doctor sighed.  
  
“Everything reads normal. However, keep your biotics to defensive maneuvers today; you’ll be a bit rusty.”  
  
Sara rolled her eyes. “All right, Mom.”  
  
“I mean it, Ryder,” the doctor threatened. “If you come back with another nosebleed I’ll be forced to put you on medical leave. Scott will be acting Pathfinder.”  
  
She eyed Lexi trying to judge just how seriously she should take the doctor. When the asari didn’t look away from her, or try to soften her words with a reassuring smile, Sara knew her friend meant business.  
  
“All right, Lex,” she said, hands up. “I promise I’ll be good.”  
  
The asari set cool gray eyes on her for a long moment, and then nodded. “Good. Now, I believe there are Kett waiting to be shot.”  
  
Sara laughed and hopped down from the table. “It’s their lucky day,” she said as she left the medbay.  
  
  
  


“This is taking too long,” Sara complained. She crouched beside Reyes, ducked behind cover as the heavy thumps of Scott’s Isharay sounded from behind them, sniping out the Kett forces that were holed up in the compound ahead of them.  
  
Reyes peeked over the low shield and fired a controlled burst from his assault rifle at the exposed head of a Chosen. It made a satisfying squelching sound as the bullet made it explode. He turned to grin at her, a quip ready on his tongue, when the now familiar warp and fizzle of biotics enveloped him. Time stood still, the air drawn from his lungs threatening to suffocate him, and then Sara vanished in a roiling pool of purple and blue flame.  
  
He searched the field for an Anointed or Destined; she almost never used a charge on a Chosen unless her shields were depleted. A handful of seconds later she reappeared before an Anointed, slamming into it to knock it off balance. Her biotic shield came next, the kett’s Gatling gun rounds ricocheting off of it and back at the kett.  
  
“Goddamn it,” Scott breathed into the comm, and then another low pulse from the Isharay put the Anointed down.  
  
Reyes stood, fury bubbling in his chest. She’d promised Lexi to keep her biotics defensive. An Annihilation Field, her Barrier, or even an occasional Singularity were fine, but charging all over the compound was too much. He vaulted over the shield, about to yell at her, when movement on his right distracted him. He spun, weapon raised, to find nothing. He fired anyway, and the air shimmered before him to reveal a Destined, its shotgun leveled at his chest.  
  
“Reyes!” Sara shouted. But she was too late.  
  
Even with his shields at full capacity, the blast from the heavy duty round knocked him off his feet. He grunted at the force of the shot, the air fleeing his lungs even before he landed flat on his back some three feet away from the kett.  
  
He lay gasping, staring up at an alien sky, dimly aware of the warp and crackle of more biotcis, and Sara’s enraged scream. There was a burst of automatic weapon fire, and then a final thud from a sniper rifle. Then all was still except for him. He writhed for a moment, aware only of a thumping pain across his chest, and then he spluttered as oxygen returned to him.  
  
Then her face was above him, her eyes darting over his face from behind the glass of her helmet. Her mouth moved, but he didn’t make out the words. Had he hit his head? No, there wasn’t any pain there, he was just disoriented. Focus, Vidal.   
  
“SAM?” He almost didn’t recognize her voice, it was so high-pitched and frantic.  
  
“Mr. Vidal has suffered contusions to his sternum and the third and fourth ribs. He is otherwise fine, Pathfinder.”  
  
Scott’s voice came next. “He’s okay, Sis, he just got the wind knocked out of him.”  
  
“The colloquial explanation,” SAM agreed.  
  
Reyes coughed, his heart thudding as his breathing caught up and his brain finally kicked into gear. He searched her face, relieved to find no evidence of another nosebleed.   
  
And then his anger flooded back to him. He gripped her shoulder, steadying himself as much as her.  
  
“Are you trying to kill yourself?” He growled.  
  
She blinked at him. “What?”  
  
“You promised.” He glared at her and she shrugged out of his grip. “No offensive biotics.”  
  
“That’s what you want to talk about?” She asked. “You just took a shotgun blast to the chest!”  
  
“Because I was worried about you!”  
  
She snorted in disbelief and stood. She didn’t even offer him a hand up. “Let’s get this over with,” she called over her shoulder, her voice hard and cold.  
  
Scott helped him up and clapped him on the back once Reyes was upright. “You’re not wrong,” her twin murmured to him. “But, you’re not one hundred percent right, either.”  
  
Reyes sighed, rolling his shoulder experimentally. He would be in pain for a few days, but nothing he couldn’t ignore. “I know,” he said.  
  
Scott shot him a small smile. “Give her some time to cool off, and keep focused.”  
  
Reyes nodded and followed after her twin. He rubbed at his chest as they caught up with Sara at the door to the compound. He caught her eyes on him, but she looked away before he could catch her gaze.  
  
She unholstered her Equalizer and glared at him as she spoke to them all. “Stay alert.” And then she punched the control panel on the door and hurried into the building.  
  
Reyes suppressed a sigh as he lifted his assault rifle to his shoulder. His own anger simmered under the surface, stuffed away for the sake of the mission, but every time she used her biotics he felt it get closer to boiling over.  
  
As they worked their way through the compound Sara used Annihilation Field to damage enemies that wandered too close to them. Her barrier was active the rest of the mission, and a couple times when they were outnumbered she used Singularity for crowd control. All approved moves, and yet Reyes could feel the spite radiating off of her every single time her powers flared to life.  
  
In the final room of the facility, an extensive laboratory with unsettling forms under pale shrouds on tables, they fought a large number of kett, including two Anointed, a Destined, and an Ascendant. Without her more powerful biotics the fight dragged on, and Reyes realized just how out of shape he was.  
  
He threw a grenade toward the Anointed just as Scott depleted their shields with a well-timed Overload. The explosion sent the kett flying and Reyes couldn’t keep the grin from his face; he had missed going on missions.  
  
“Any one have eyes on that Destined?” Sara asked over the comm.  
  
“Got it,” Scott breathed. The Isharary sounded a second later, and the kett flickered into sight. Sara’s Equalizer rattled as she fired dozens of rounds into the kett’s face. As it fell before her, the squad turned and focused their attention on the Ascendant.  
  
“Plan?” Reyes called.  
  
“These things are a bitch on a good day,” Sara replied.  
  
“Try not to get caught by this one, huh?” Scott said.  
  
She shot a glare at her twin. “Focus fire on the shield generator,” she said.  
  
The Isharay roared and the bullet hit the floating orange ball that hovered around the Ascendant’s waist. Reyes dug through the pouch at his hip and found his sticky grenades. He pulled one, pressed the button with his thumb and chucked it.  
  
“Grenade incoming,” He yelled as he watched the device arc toward the kett and land perfectly on the shield generator. “Goddamn, I’m good,” he crowed.  
  
“Save the celebration for when it’s dead,” Sara said, but he could hear the smile in her voice. She sprinted past him, her Equalizer raised, and then lobbed a biotic Lance at the orange ball of energy. The shield dropped and they all opened fire on the kett.   
  
It was an effective strategy, but it took about five rounds of that to finally kill the Ascendant. By the end Reyes had used every grenade in his arsenal, and was very nearly out of ammo. Scott sighed as he holstered his weapon on his back, then shook out his arms, no doubt tired from supporting the weight of his rifle for so long.  
  
Sara wandered the lab, her face flushed and her lips pale. She wouldn’t admit it to them, but this mission had been hard on her. She scanned every piece of machinery, conferring with SAM quietly over the results. Scott meandered, and peeked under one of the shrouds after a moment’s hesitation.  
  
“Uh… Sis?” Scott pulled back the shroud to reveal a green envirosuit. “You’re going to want to see this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Have I mentioned how much I missed these two? Because it was a lot. Like... a lot a lot.


	30. Risk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: As always, thank you all for your lovely comments and kudos, and thank you for sticking with me as I slowly navigate my way toward the end of this particular fic. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Sara stared at the quarian in the deep green envirosuit. His mask had been pried off, the Kett apparently unable to remove it properly.  
  
“Is it…?”  
  
“He is deceased, Pathfinder,” SAM said.  
  
She thought that was pretty obvious. She didn’t want to get closer, didn’t want the first quarian she saw without a mask to be a dead one. Reyes stepped closer to the lab table, curiosity clear on his face.  
  
“Is it Tael’Zolan?” The question was barely a whisper from Sara’s lips, but both Scott and Reyes snapped their heads around to look at her.  
  
“Unknown,” SAM replied. “Without a genetic sample from Pathfinder Zolan I am unable to determine if they are related.”  
  
She nodded. That made sense. She took careful steps to join Reyes and Scott at the table and looked upon the face of the quarian. She was surprised at how serene he looked. His closed eyes took up the majority of his face, and the slope of his nose was subtle, hardly more than a ridge with two slits at the end for nostrils. The mouth was small with thin lips, giving his purplish gray face an almost oval shape. With a strong jawline. He appeared soft and sharp all at once. He was almost pretty.  
  
“Time of death?” She asked.  
  
“The envirosuit delayed decomposition,” SAM said. “However, Kett data suggest they discovered the body two weeks ago.”  
  
Sara let out a relieved sigh. “Tael’Zolan died almost two months ago.” She stepped away from the examining table to activate a nearby terminal, giving SAM access.  
  
“He was deceased when they discovered him,” the AI continued. “Dr. T’Perro could tell us more.”  
  
Sara nodded. “SAM, get any intel you can. Scott, can you get him by yourself?” She jerked her chin toward the quarian. Her brother spent more time on his fitness than either she or Reyes did, so she hoped it wouldn’t be a hindrance.  
  
Scott’s lip curled in distaste, but he nodded.  
  
“Whether or not he’s Joh’Zolan’s son, he’s one of ours.” She glared at her twin. “I won’t leave him to the Kett if I don’t have to.” She didn’t look at either her brother or her boyfriend; neither of them needed to see how much the dead quarian had derailed her. Memories of the Archon’s ship flashed through her mind, and a chill ran down her spine.  
  
“Let’s get out of here,” she growled, and then led the way out of the compound.  
  
  


Reyes helped Scott load the Quarian corpse into the back of the Nomad and then climbed into the passenger seat as usual. Sara didn’t look at him as they buckled into their safety harnesses and she coaxed the vehicle to life.  
  
He struggled to keep his agitation under control. He knew she wouldn’t want to discuss things with her brother in the backseat, and the more time he gave her to stew on things, the more rational she would be when they finally did talk.  
  
But, that didn’t mean that her silence didn’t grate on his nerves.  
  
Dull, dreary landscape zoomed by them as Sara rocketed back toward the landing zone. It had been a long enough drive out to the compound in the first place, but as the tense silence stretched on it seemed that this ride would take even longer.  
  
Leather creaked from the backseat as Scott leaned forward to grip the backs of their seats. “So,” he said, his voice bright. “Were you guys gonna talk about what happened back there, or…?”  
  
Reyes raised a brow at the male Ryder twin and then glanced at Sara. She sat, resolute and silent, her arms straight and locked at the elbow as her grip tightened on the steering wheel. Her jaw was clenched, and she pointedly refused to look at either Reyes or her bother. When she didn’t reply and Reyes settled back into his seat with a small shrug, Scott sighed.  
  
“None of my business anyway,” he said, returning to his seat and crossing his arms. “Not my problem if you both want to be idiots,” he grumbled.  
  
“Scott,” Sara shouted. “I swear to God I will shoot you if you keep talking!”  
  
There was a bright flash in the rear view mirror as Scott grinned. “And get blood on the seats?”  
  
Sara scowled out at the terrain. “It’s leather,” she said and smirked. “Gil could clean it up in no time.”  
  
“He could,” Scott agreed. “But he’d spend at least the first hour complaining about it.”  
  
She sighed and shook her head. “I guess it’s your lucky day then,” she grumbled. There was some heat in her words, frustration and irritation, but she still smiled all the same. She caught Reyes watching her and her expression softened. She released her death grip on the steering wheel and took his hand. She squeezed, and with the pressure Reyes felt the tension melt away from his shoulders.  
  
They would be okay. They could disagree, could even yell and be angry, but she wasn’t walking away. He hadn’t realized just how much he feared her abandonment until her hand found his. He sighed and squeezed back; this would be enough until they could talk properly back on the Tempest.  
  
  


The Nomad roared up the cargo ramp, bringing a swell of dirt and dust in its wake. Sara slammed on the brake and the vehicle jerked to a stop perfectly in the center of the recessed lift it called home.  
  
“SAM,” she called before any of them had unbuckled their harnesses. “Tell Kallo to set a course for the ark. I’ve got a date with a surly quarian.”  
  
“Of course, Pathfinder,” the AI replied.  
  
She opened the door and glanced over her shoulder at her twin. “Take the body to Lexi,” she commanded. “SAM will let me know when she’s finished examining it.”  
  
She briefly considered ordering Reyes to her quarters, but decided that would be overkill. Besides, she wasn’t really angry enough to convince herself it was worth the headache. She climbed out of the Nomad without looking at him, and made her way towards her room. His boots clanged on the metal behind her, comforting and nerve-wracking in turns. But she didn’t look at him until she heard the door to the Pathfinder’s quarters lock behind them.  
  
She turned to face him, and had to consciously decide not to cross her arms over her chest. He watched her, his amber eyes guarded, and licked his lips once. She sighed. “Do you want to start, or shall I?”  
  
He looked down at his feet and shrugged.  
  
“All right,” she said. The memory of Reyes taking the Destined’s shotgun blast to the chest played through her head, and her fear and anger bubbled back in force. “What the hell were you thinking?”  
  
The liquid gold of his eyes seemed to harden as the corners of his mouth managed to pull down even further. “I thought you were going to kill yourself out of pure stubbornness,” he spat. His voice was cold, detached, and it only added fuel to her fire.  
  
“So, what?” She scoffed. “I take a risk or two and suddenly you let your guard down?” She stepped away from the couch and pointed at him. “That’s how you get yourself killed.”  
  
“And pushing your biotics when you promised to keep them defensive is how you kill yourself,” he snarled. “You heard Lexi, until we’re back in Heleus your implant won’t be one hundred percent.”  
  
She shook her head. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done,” she said.  
  
“That’s bullshit,” Reyes snapped, startling her. His detached mask was gone, and the anger was flush on his face. Anger and fear. “If getting the job done meant you’d hurt others, hurt innocents, you wouldn’t do it,” he said. “You would find a work around.” He stared at her, his eyes searching her face. “Why can’t you do the same for yourself?”  
  
She looked away from him, her eyes locked on the space hamster spinning in his wheel. “Because,” she whispered. “Risk to myself is implied in the title.” She shrugged. “It’s part of the job.” Warm hands on her neck surprised her, and she looked up into his face just inches from her own.  
  
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he prepared to speak. “I think you’re determined to follow your father’s example,” he murmured. His voice was so low, as if he was afraid of giving the words too much life.  
  
Sara ignored the tears pooling in her eyes. “Dad wasn’t always the best father, but he was a damn good soldier. And Pathfinder.”  
  
Reyes nodded and wiped at her stray tears with his thumbs. “Sara,” he whispered. “You can’t be a great Pathfinder if you get yourself killed.”  
  
She winced against his words, but he continued.  
  
“You want to save all of Andromeda, bring the arks together, and give us all a place to call home?”  
  
She nodded, unable to look at him.  
  
“Well, you already did that for me,” he said.  
  
She blinked against the tears but found his gaze.  
  
“You are my home, Sarita,” he took a deep breath, “and if you die…”  
  
She kissed him, hard and fast, because she couldn’t stand the quiver in his chin as he looked at her. After a moment they stood with their foreheads pressed together, trying to catch their breaths. His hands still cupped her face and hers were fisted in the collar of his light armor.  
  
“You’re right,” she said. “I need to be more cautious.”  
  
He exhaled in relief, but she wasn’t done.  
  
“But when we’re in the field you have to trust my judgment, Reyes.” She looked up at him, and waited to continue until he’d met her gaze. “You could have died today, too. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you because of me.” Her face threatened to crumple as a fresh wave of emotion struck her.  
  
“No, Princesa,” he murmured, pressing her face to his chest. “Don’t blame yourself.” He shushed her, and rocked them silently for a moment. He kissed her hair and gently tugged at the braid to get her to look at him. “We both have to do better,” he said.  
  
She nodded, but didn’t speak.  
  
“Are you still mad?” He asked a moment later, when her heartbeat had settled against his chest.  
  
She thought about it. She was mostly relieved that they’d been able to have this conversation at all. That they were both alive, and mature enough to talk about their feelings. It was how things should be, but when she thought about that Destined and the sound of the shotgun report, fear and anger still simmered in her gut.  
  
“A little,” she admitted. “But mostly relieved.” She looked up at him. “You?”  
  
He gave her a soft smile, his mouth tilting up slightly in the corners. “A little.”  
  
“Help me out of my armor?” She asked. The adrenaline of her fury and fear had worn off, and suddenly she was exhausted.  
  
“Of course, Princesa.” His fingers didn’t hesitate or fumble on the clasps of her gear, and he stacked the pieces in orderly piles by her armoire. When he returned to her, she helped him in kind, and when he guided her back to the bed, Sara smiled.  
  
They would address the lingering anger and fear in the only way they knew how, with her skin on his.  
  
  


Reyes gave Sara some space for the next day. He’d said some daring things during their heated conversation, and she’d gone to talk to Lexi the next morning. He threw himself into Collective work, still tracking down data trails from Meritus’ betrayal. Hacking Foster Addison’s private servers was a risky proposition, but he needed to know how much information had actually reached the Director of Colonial Affairs. And, if he found evidence of her plans against the Collective, all the better.  
  
But, he was pretty sure that hacking Initiative mainframes would constitute “Big Stuff” and he’d learned the hard way that it was better to ask permission than forgiveness. At least, with Sara. So he went about laying the ground work to break his way into the server while he waited for Sara to conclude her visit to the ship psychologist.  
  
Reyes stared at his terminals, his knee bouncing in his impatience. He needed a distraction. He pulled up his omnitool and dialed a rarely used frequency.  
  
“Pok,” the thin, sharp voice of the Salarian barked from the omnitool.  
  
“It’s me,” he said.  
  
Wide, black eyes blinked at him. “What do you need?”  
  
Reyes smiled. He liked Kalla Pok. She was no nonsense, deferred to him, but didn’t simper, and she didn’t back down when she knew she was right. She was brilliant, and she knew it. She demanded the respect her genius deserved, and as long as Reyes provided it, she was dutiful in her work for him.  
  
“We’re bound for the Keelah Si’yah,” he said.  
  
“ETA?”  
  
“Tomorrow morning.”  
  
She nodded once, her mouth drawn down into a soft frown. “Status update in progress, will be ready by your arrival.”  
  
“I’m just a representative to anyone outside the Tempest,” he reminded her.  
  
She smirked. “Make sure to include subtle insubordination upon delivery.”  
  
“Has Joh’Zolan arrived yet?”  
  
Her frown deepened. “On board two cycles now. Fortunate for him, not STG anymore, attitude would constitute mission parameter change.”  
  
“And what does that mean?” He asked, an eyebrow raised.  
  
“Would eliminate threat to mission efficiency.”  
  
He hid his amusement behind the familiar mask of the Charlatan. “Let’s keep the Pathfinder among the living, please.”  
  
“Are you certain?” Kalla Pok asked. “Would remove obstacles to Ryder’s goals, potentially maximize efforts, definitely boost ark morale.”  
  
“Pok,” he warned.  
  
“Fine,” she huffed. “Quarian lives.”  
  
“I thought you didn’t last with STG because of your aversion to blood?”  
  
“Wreav would assassinate the cloaca. Not me.”  
  
Reyes laughed then, though he reined it in quickly. “I look forward to your report,” he said.  
  
“Yes,” she nodded. “Anything else? Very busy,” she said. “Ark to save.”  
  
He shook his head. “Go on, then.” He’d hardly finished speaking before Pok ended the call. He glowered at the blank screen. “She’s lucky she’s a genius.”  
  
“Who’s a genius?” Sara asked from the doorway.  
  
He spun in his chair and was relieved to see that Sara’s face was clear and open, her cheeks free of any trace of tears. “My lieutenant on the ark,” he said.  
  
She stepped into the room, but stopped just shy of his reach to lean against the desk. “The one that wrote the diagnostic report?”  
  
“One and the same,” he said. He followed a couple lines of code on the monitor in front of him, his mind translating the information almost automatically, and then turned his attention back to her.  
  
“What is it?” She asked. She crossed her arms and held his gaze, her eyes dark.  
  
He sighed. “I’ve got the data trail from the leak in the Collective.”  
  
“And?”  
  
“And, it leads to Addison’s personal server.” He ran a hand through his hair, letting his guard down. This was Sara; he’d promised to share the Big Stuff, and he’d promised to do it without the protection of his Crime Boss persona.  
  
“Shit,” she cursed. “What’s the next move?”  
  
“Ideally?” He arched a brow at her, and she nodded. “I hack the Initiative mainframe and slice my way into her private server. I find out what she knows, and maybe get some dirt of my own in the process.”  
  
Sara stared at him for a moment. “Can you do that?”  
  
He grinned. “Of course,” he said.  
  
“Without it leading back to you, or the Tempest?”  
  
“Yes,” he promised. “I mean, there are no guarantees, but I like my chances.”  
  
Sara rolled her eyes and then looked toward the ceiling. “SAM?” She called.  
  
“Yes, Sara?” The AI replied.  
  
“If Reyes went through with this plan, what’s the rate of success?”  
  
The AI’s response was instantaneous. “Mr. Vidal’s skills are formidable. However, infiltrating the Director’s private server without detection is a considerable feat. Unaided, the attempt has a sixty-eight percent chance of success.”  
  
Reyes frowned; that number seemed awfully low. Then his frown deepened. “What do you mean, unaided?”  
  
“With the Pathfinder’s approval, I could lend assistance,” the AI said.  
  
Reyes shook his head before SAM had finished speaking. “No way. If the Initiative even suspects the Pathfinder’s involvement with Collective subterfuge it would draw their full focus here.”  
  
“And if you’re caught you can kiss your alliance with the Initiative goodbye,” she replied.  
  
“So be it,” he said, his voice hard and unyielding.  
  
“Reyes-”  
  
“No,” he snapped. “I asked you to help facilitate discussions of an alliance, not hang yourself from a noose of my creation.”  
  
She rolled her eyes. “You’re being dramatic.”  
  
“And you’re being careless.”  
  
They stared each other down for a moment, as if either of them could will the other to fold on the matter.  
  
“SAM is the most developed AI in the galaxy,” she said. “I trust him to keep me out of trouble.”  
  
Reyes glared at her. “It’s not that I don’t trust your fancy AI,” he said. It wasn’t even that he didn’t want the extra computing power, because he did. He shook his head. “My security breach has  
already put you at risk,” he whispered. “I refuse to let you endanger yourself more for my sake.”  
  
She watched him, emotions flickering behind her eyes too quickly for him to analyze them. She’d gotten so much better at concealing her feelings in the year they’d been apart, and he found it incredibly frustrating.  
  
“Is there any way we can compromise on this?”  
  
Reyes was about to tell her ‘no’ when SAM spoke up.  
  
“I could assist Collective efforts to prepare a way into Director Addison’s server,” SAM said. “However, utilization and implementation would be solely under Collective jurisdiction.”  
  
Reyes blinked. He hadn’t thought of that. “What, like a virus?”  
  
SAM’s voice was nonchalant as always. “That is a primitive description, but yes.”  
  
He rubbed at his chin as he considered the AI’s suggestion. It was an advantage he was loathe to turn down; he’d need all the help he could get to infiltrate Nexus servers without getting caught. But, it was still a dangerous course of action, not only for his organization, but for the Pathfinder and her team. If he failed judgment would be swift and final, on them both.  
  
He glanced at Sara, her face carefully blank as she watched him mull it over. “I won’t say no to SAM’s help,” he admitted. “But you have to okay this, and you need to mean it, Sara.” He shook his head. “Don’t just agree for my sake.”  
  
She nodded. “Do it,” she said, her voice firm with the authority she’d come to wield so effortlessly. “But take your time and do it right. You’ll only get one shot at this, and we can’t afford any mistakes.”  
  
Reyes searched her face, but there was no doubt in her eyes as she met his gaze. It was easy to forget how hard she could be, so cut and dried when it suited her. He was so used to soft Sara, the woman he held at night to fend off her nightmares, whose tears he wiped away when the day had been too much. But she was the human Pathfinder, the only person in the galaxy that could interface with RemTech unaided, and who had led assault after assault on countless Kett bases.  
  
Forgetting that determination and strength had been a major misstep the last time he’d had the privilege of sharing her bed. He wouldn’t do it again.  
  
He nodded at her. “We’ll get started right away,” he promised, spinning to look at the monitors before him.  
  
“Good.” She nodded back and shoved off from the desk. She was halfway through the door when she paused to look over her shoulder at him. Her long hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and though it was a girlish style, it made her features seem tight and tired suddenly.  
  
“And, Reyes? Thank you for honoring our agreement,” she said. And though the words were grateful, her tone was a reminder that she expected the trend to continue.  
  
He smiled softly, pleased that she recognized his efforts. “No problem, Ryder.”  
  
Her lips curled up in the corners, and the creases at the edges of her eyes softened. Then she stepped out into the hall and left him to his work.


	31. Frustration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: We're getting so close now! I hope you all enjoy this one!

Even from a distance, through the intimidating hulk of the scourge, Sara could tell that repairs on the Keelah Si’yah had been considerable. Where weeks ago there had been large gaps and breaches in her hull, now there were shining, new metal replacements. A few spots were still in progress, with large, bulbous tarpaulins marking the sections of hull that had been sealed, but not yet replaced. While she couldn’t jump to faster-than-light with those in place, the Keelah looked much less depressing for them.  
  
Warmth at her back alerted her to Reyes’ presence at the galaxy map. She cast a glance over her shoulder to catch him gazing out of the view port, his gaze critical and sharp as he assessed his agents’ progress for himself.  
  
“Repairs are moving quickly,” Kallo said to the bridge, his voice lifting in surprise as he directed the Tempest towards the ark. He communicated briefly with a Collective operative, one Sara didn’t recognize, and then guided the ship to the designated docking bay.  
  
She tried not to pay too much attention to the sudden chill that seeped into Reyes, how his neck and shoulders tightened, but didn’t bunch. He was coiled and prepared, slipping into the role he’d need to play while around his agents. It grated on her, but she understood that he needed the mask. So, instead of giving in to her agitation and hurt at watching him distance himself from everyone, even himself, she followed his example.  
  
Joh’Zolan was on his home turf, more or less, and she’d need to be the best Pathfinder she could if she hoped to keep the bull-headed quarian from bullying his way through their conversation. She needed to be Sara Ryder, Human Pathfinder, Savior of Heleus.  
  
She glanced around the bridge, unsurprised to see her entire crew gathered and gaping at the ark.  
  
“Jaal, Peebee,” she said. “You two stay here. I don’t think we’re in any danger, but I’d rather not leave the Tempest defenseless.” The pair nodded, though Jaal looked displeased. “Liam, escort Gil to coordinate with the Collective Lieutenant, see if we can offer any assistance.” She ignored Reyes’ arched brow in her direction. He was unlikely to accept her offers of help, so she would bypass him, just like she would any other stubborn figurehead. “Vetra, meet with Laela. Make sure the ark has what it needs.” The turian smiled softly, but nodded. “Which leaves Scott and Reyes with me,” she finished. “Everyone has ten minutes to be ready and in the airlock.”  
  
Nods of assent all around ended the briefing, and they all dispersed to make their last minute preparations as Reyes followed her into the armory. He didn’t speak right away as he watched her change out of her active wear and into her Initiative official long-sleeved shirt and pants. He was already in his flight suit, the arm repaired from where Lexi had to cut it off to get to his wrist after their last visit to the ark.  
  
“You’re going around me,” he said once she’d finished dressing.  
  
She shrugged. “You were unlikely to accept my help. Gil asking Pok makes it less personal.”  
  
Hard amber eyes watched her. “It’s still risky. You can’t stick your neck out for the Collective right now,” he said. “Not until I know how much Addison knows.”  
  
“I can handle Addison,” she countered.  
  
“And if she goes to Tann?” He asked. “If she has proof that we were together, or are again?”  
  
She shrugged again. “The worse they can do is fire me.”  
  
He snorted, shaking his head at her blase demeanor.  
  
“I’m serious, Reyes.” She sighed, closing the locker with a sharp metallic clang. “I wanted to be an archaeologist. I came to Andromeda to be an archaeologist. It’d be nice if I could stop shooting things for five minutes and actually learn something about our new home.”  
  
He blinked at her, unprepared for her outburst. “Archeology?” He asked after a moment, the faint hint of a smirk on his lips. “What, like, dinosaurs?”  
  
She rolled her eyes at him but smiled. “That’s Paleontology,” she corrected. “Archeology is the study of ancient civilizations.” She was pretty sure he knew this and was just teasing her. “I should be researching the Jardaan, figuring out how and why they built Meridian and why they created the angara.”  
  
He stepped into her space, his hands cradling her neck so his thumbs brushed along her jaw. “That’s what you really want?”  
  
She looked up at him and a wave of emotion rolled through her at his searching gaze. “I’m tired, Reyes,” she whispered. “I’m tired of fighting, of getting hurt all time. I’m tired of putting my loved ones in danger.” She took a deep breath, settling into and grounding herself through his warm touch. “I want to bring this ark home and be done with it.”  
  
He bent down to kiss her, his lips warm and soft against hers. “Then let’s bring her home,” he whispered.  
  
Her hands clasped around his wrists and she nodded, absorbing the feel of him, his warmth, and that smoky sweet fragrance that was uniquely his. There would come a time when she wouldn’t have to worry what the Initiative thought of her involvement with a Collective representative, when they could worry less about the galaxy and focus on themselves. And the sooner she brought the Keelah Si’yah home, the sooner that could happen.  
  
The door to the armory hissed open, and Reyes dropped his hands from her neck instantly, as if the sound had shocked him.  
  
“It’s just us,” Scott called. Gil was right behind him, oblivious to everything except his omnitool, but that didn’t matter. Reyes slipped back behind his mask, the warmth and care erased from his face as he leaned back against the lockers and crossed his arms over his chest. Tension returned to the lines of his neck and shoulders, and his jaw set firmly enough to pulse just slightly at the corner.  
  
Sara sighed, but settled into her own professional demeanor. She wished her armor would have been appropriate; she felt more like the Pathfinder in her father’s re-purposed N7 gear.  
  
Scott glanced between them, his pale eyes concerned, but a curt shake of his twin’s head convinced him to drop the matter. “What do you think’s waiting for us?” He asked instead.  
  
She sighed. “Obviously, the Pathfinder has something to share, something he wanted to talk about in person.”  
  
“A change in plans?” Scott asked.  
  
She shrugged.  
  
“Repairs are on schedule,” Gil said. “Actually, slightly ahead of schedule, if we’re basing it on the conservative estimate.”  
  
Reyes smirked, but otherwise remained still.  
  
Sara ran a hand through her hair, trying to settle her nerves. “That means the Keelah could be good to go in as soon as two weeks.”  
  
Scott raised a dark brow at her. “Why don’t you sound happier about that?”  
  
She shook her head. “I can’t shake the feeling that whatever Joh’Zolan has on his mind, it won’t be good.”  
  
She missed her brother’s reply as SAM spoke into their private channel. “Sara,” the AI said. “Dr. T’Perro has finished her examination of the quarian we recovered on A-463.”  
  
She tilted her head, and the armory fell silent at her obvious distraction. “And?”  
  
“Without DNA comparisons her findings cannot be conclusive,” SAM said. “However, the envirosuit and the Kett’s interest in examining the corpse led to considerable preservation.”  
  
“English, SAM,” she growled.  
  
“She believes it could be Tael’Zolan. Cause of death was infection after a Destined shotgun compromised the integrity of the envirosuit.”  
  
She cursed and ran her hands through her hair again. “Bring Vetra up to speed. See if Laela will agree to come aboard and ID the body. If it is Tael’Zolan, let me know.”  
  
“Of course, Sara.”  
  
She turned and looked up into two sets of worried eyes, one pale blue, the other hard amber. “This meeting just might be even more grim than we’d planned,” she grumbled. Before she could explain further, the rest of the team trickled in. Sara gave them a moment, fiddling with stowing her Equalizer in its proper place, and then she turned back to the gathered squad.  
  
“Keep things civil,” she said, giving pointed glances to Liam and Gil. “We’re here to provide assistance, not provoke or needle.”  
  
Gil ignored her, still tapping away on his omnitool. “As long as they can keep up, things should be fine.”  
  
Reyes snorted. “If Pok can’t keep up with you, I’m over paying her,” he said. The words were teasing, but he was too deep into his persona for them to sound quite right. Sara kept her eyes off his face, unwilling to see the cold reservation there.  
  
“Nah,” Gil said. “The Initiative is just under paying me.”  
  
Scott rolled his eyes. “Can we get this pissing contest started already?”  
  
Sara sighed, but nodded, and then entered the command to open the airlock onto the Keelah Si’yah’s docking bay.  
  
She gaped at the transformation that greeted them. Where there’d been disorganized clutter littering the hallways before, there were neat, orderly stacks of crates and bags. People, predominantly Collective operatives judging by the red circles emblazoned on every chest, strode down the walkways on their way to the next task.  
  
Before they’d made it fifty feet onto the ark, a tall Salarian with white and rust mottled skin and wide, black eyes approached them. A krogan flanked her, his lips curled in a vicious smile as his golden eyes found Reyes.  
  
The Charlatan nodded once at the krogan in way of greeting, then focused his sharp gaze on the salarian. “Pok,” he said. “What have you got for me?”  
  
Before the lieutenant could reply, a barking, filtered voice filled the hall.  
  
“Pathfinder Ryder,” Joh’Zolan called as he approached them. “Good of you to finally join us.” His tone suggested that he was far from pleased to be hosting Sara and her team.  
  
Sara nodded at the large quarian. “Pathfinder,” she greeted. “We got here as soon as possible.”  
  
He snorted, though the respirator on his suit muffled the sound. “Come,” he commanded with a wave. “The salarian can talk while she walks.”  
  
Pok stiffened, her dark eyes narrowing. “Must brief Vidal in person. Direct orders,” she said. She glanced at Reyes and shrugged. “Though, unsure what that will accomplish.”  
  
The krogan chortled from behind the salarian, but his cold, yellow eyes never looked away from Joh’Zolan.  
  
Sara glanced at Reyes just in time to see him roll his eyes. Either he really respected his lieutenant’s genius eccentricities, or he’d anticipated her jibe.  
  
“Come on, Pok,” he said curtly. “Walk with us.”  
  
The salarian didn’t hesitate to fall into step with them as her team followed after Joh’Zolan. Gil hung back with Reyes and Pok as the three discussed the progress on the ark, and what still remained. Sara tried to listen to the conversation, but she had to admit that most of it was beyond her comprehension.  
  
“The engineers tell me the ark will be ready to jump to FTL in two weeks,” the quarian said over his shoulder. “Barring unforeseen circumstances.”  
  
“That’s good news,” Sara said.  
  
“It is,” replied.  
  
Scott glanced at her, his brow furrowed. “Then why don’t you sound happier?” Her twin asked.  
  
The quarian glanced at Scott, but when he spoke it was to Sara. “There’s one last obstacle to overcome.” His voice was heavy, and it sank through her skin to settle like a stone in the pit of her stomach.  
  
“I have a feeling I’m not going to like what you have to say.”  
  
The shimmering purple light of his eyes seemed to almost twinkle behind his mask. “When do you ever?”  
  
  


The bridge of the Keelah Si’yah was much less intimidating when the power was on. The large deck was well lit and the various stations and screens all thrummed with energy. Despite its late departure, the ark still followed the general blueprint of its predecessors, and for the first time in Alcaeus, Sara felt somewhat at home in the familiar space.  
  
That feeling evaporated when she set eyes on Zoldat Faros behind the main control panel. Something cool and dangerous replaced her previous sensation of homecoming, something that very much wanted to inflict pain on the drell. She paused in her step, and if he’d been anyone else Reyes might have run into her. But, he was naturally observant, and doubly so when it came to her.  
  
“Let it go,” he murmured as he walked past her.  
  
She very nearly growled. “Easier said than done,” she grumbled instead.  
  
He nodded once, but didn’t look at her. She sighed and continued with her team to stand in a vague circle with Joh’Zolan and his second-in-command.  
  
Large, black reptilian eyes blinked twice, the lids clicking, as Zoldat looked at Reyes. “You appear whole and healthy,” the drell said to him. His voice was low and subdued. “I am glad for it.”  
  
Reyes shrugged. “No harm, no foul,” he said.  
  
Zoldat frowned. “But there was harm.”  
  
Reyes’ eyes locked on the drell, cold and calculating. “Then I guess you owe me.”  
  
Zoldat held his gaze for a moment, weighing the seriousness of Reyes’ words, and then nodded. “I suppose I do.”  
  
“If that’s done,” Joh’Zolan interrupted. “We have business to attend to.”  
  
“Pathfinder,” Zoldat said. “Should not the Most Prime be present?”  
  
The quarian scoffed. “Unless the Primacy has experience infiltrating hostile ships, I don’t really see how she’d be of any use.”  
  
The drell stiffened slightly, but made no further comment. He stepped back from the console, and made space between himself and Joh’Zolan.  
  
Scott leaned on the console. “Infiltrating hostile ships?” He asked. “What’s going on?”  
  
Sara crossed her arms, hoping the pressure on her chest would settle the sudden, panicked thudding of her heart.  
  
“Kett forces have been searching for the ark ever since we camouflaged her in the reef,” the Pathfinder said. “But with the increased Initiative activity in the cluster, they’re getting closer.”  
  
Reyes stepped away from Pok and Gil, who chatted excitedly a short distance away. “How much closer?” His eyes were dark, his mouth pulled down at the corners.  
  
Joh’Zolan didn’t look at him. “They’ll find the ark before she’s ready if we don’t do something.”  
  
Scott squinted at the Pathfinder. “I’m guessing you had something in mind?”  
  
Sara closed her eyes and focused on maintaining deep, even breaths. But she still felt the weight of Joh’Zolan’s gaze on her.  
  
“We need to take the fight to the Archon,” the Pathfinder said.  
  
Scott scoffed. “And how do you propose we do that?”  
  
“Honestly? I’m not entirely sure.”  
  
Sara’s eyes snapped open to find the purple pinpricks of light looking back at her from behind the quarian’s mask.  
  
“That’s where you come in, Pathfinder.”  
  
She stared at him as every drop of blood in her veins rushed through her ears. Her heart pounded painfully in her ribcage, and she lost control of the careful breaths she’d worked so hard on. Sara’s throat went dry, and she felt the color drain from her face. “You don’t know what you’re asking,” she said softly.  
  
“You said yourself that you assaulted the ship of Heleus’ Archon,” he countered. “Surely, you could do so again.”  
  
Scott and Reyes both looked at her, wearing matching looks of worry and confusion. She had never told either of them about what happened that day on the Archon’s ship. Only Lexi, Liam, and Jaal knew that she’d died that day. Again. She and Reyes had only started dating a few weeks before that, and though she’d gone to him for comfort in the aftermath, she hadn’t told him a thing. And he hadn’t pried, just like she knew he wouldn’t.  
  
And Scott, well, he was still in his coma when it all happened. How could she tell her twin that she’d permitted her incredibly advanced AI to kill her so that she could escape the Archon’s trap? How did she start that conversation? It was much easier to just avoid it entirely.  
  
Except now she was about to relive the nightmare all over again.  
  
She took a deep breath and then stepped up to the console. “Do you have the coordinates for the flagship?” She asked.  
  
The quarian nodded.  
  
“Last time it was just me and two squadmates.” She shook her head. “It… wasn’t ideal.”  
  
“Larger teams could be problematic,” Zoldat said, finally speaking up.  
  
She nodded. “I agree. But, two teams moving through the ship could wreak havoc.” She looked back to the Pathfinder. “Are you suggesting sabotage or assassination?”  
  
Before Joh’Zolan could speak, her brother interrupted. “Woah, woah, woah,” he said. “You can’t be serious!”  
  
She glared at him.  
  
“You want to invade the Archon’s ship,” he said. “And do what?”  
  
“Last time I stole the coordinates to Meridian from him,” she said. That was true, she just paved over the part where she’d died. And somehow, she could tell by the subtle tilt of his head, Reyes knew she’d kept something to herself. Not even Scott had noticed.  
  
Joh’Zolan cocked one hip and crossed his arms over his chest, his posture suddenly smug. “With two teams, why not both?” He asked.  
  
Sara considered it. “If the layouts are the same, my team could plant charges.”  
  
The Pathfinder nodded. “And mine can carve a path through to the Archon himself.”  
  
Scott slammed his palms on the console. “Do you even hear yourselves?” He shouted. “This is suicide.” He stared at his twin, but she wouldn’t, couldn’t meet his eyes. He didn’t know how right he was, and if she looked at him she wouldn’t be able to keep it that way.  
  
Joh’Zolan bristled at her brother’s tone. “Do you have any better ideas?” He asked, archly.  
  
“Not off the top of my head,” Scott admitted. “But, it’s not like you’ve given us time to brainstorm.”  
  
“We’re out of time,” Joh’Zolan snapped.  
  
Sara sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Behind her she noticed that Gil and Pok had wisely decided to leave the suddenly boisterous bridge in favor of a quieter location to share their thoughts and findings. When Joh’Zolan and her brother showed no signs of slowing down their argument, she decided to step back and try to catch her breath. Reyes followed her.  
  
They leaned against the rail that separated the main console from the lower control panels, and though they stood just far apart not to touch, Reyes’ right hand snaked behind her to trail soothing patterns on her low back. They watched the argument for a moment, and her breathing slowly calmed.  
  
“Sara,” Reyes said softly. His voice was full of concern and warmth, his own voice, not the Charlatan’s. She couldn’t face Reyes the lover right now, not if she had to plan another attack on a Kett flagship.  
  
“How do you do it?” She asked suddenly. She crossed her arms and hooked one ankle over the other, trying so hard to appear calm and in control. But her voice was rough and stiff, giving her away.  
  
“Do what?” He asked, mercifully playing along with her, his eyes never leaving the argument between Scott and the Pathfinder.  
  
“Lock down your emotions and keep that mask in place?”  
  
He glanced at her, his mouth pulled down and his brow creased with worry. She didn’t willingly bring up his role as the Charlatan very often, it was a tender spot between them, but he still answered her. He was trying so hard to keep up his end of their bargain.  
  
His touch on her back snaked under her shirt, his fingertips ghosting over her skin. She stiffened, and inhaled sharply. He smirked, but she refused to look at him, scowling at the Pathfinder to keep her expression from giving them away.  
  
He kept his eyes on the conversation happening before them as he spoke to her. “It can be difficult,” he admitted. “Frustrating even.” His fingers continued with their idle patterns. “But, I stuff all that frustration away and save it,” he murmured, dropping the pitch of his voice. “For later.”  
  
She smirked, keeping her eyes forward. “That explains a lot.”  
  
He grinned. “I’m sure it does.”  
  
Scott’s sharp voice cut through the room, silencing the Quarian Pathfinder. Sara sighed, shaking her head. “You’re a lucky man, Vidal.”  
  
“Oh?”  
  
She pushed away from the railing, breaking the small contact between them. “There’s going to be a lot of pent up frustration after today,” she promised, a wicked grin on her face. She glanced at him to find his golden eyes molten and his pupils blown wide.  
  
“I look forward to helping you relieve it, Pathfinder,” he murmured.  
  
She smiled at him, her heart settling as she took in his features. He didn’t know that just the simple touch and gentle teasing had already helped her so much. Or maybe he did. Either way, she added an extra swing to her step as she walked away from him to put an end to her brother’s argument with the Pathfinder.  
  
Whether Scott liked it or not, for once Joh’Zolan was right. They needed to keep the Keelah Si’yah safe, and in order to do that, they needed to land a crippling blow to the Kett in the cluster. And lucky for them all, she was just the woman for the job.


	32. Loss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who read, commented, and/or left kudos on the previous chapter. I'm sorry this one took so long, but I was out of town for my cousin's wedding last week, so I didn't get any work done. I hope you all like this chapter!

After the argument with her brother, Joh’Zolan was surprisingly receptive to Sara’s input on their plan to infiltrate and debilitate the Archon’s ship. The ark’s repairs were on schedule, and it would be ready to jump to faster-than-light travel in two weeks, as planned. Now that life-support and artificial gravity were both functional, the Pathfinder ships would spend the next fortnight placing probes and planning a route out of the scourge for the ark. In the meantime, Joh’Zolan’s team would shadow the Archon’s flagship, planning their boarding trajectory while the Tempest helped place probes until the quarian Pathfinder team contacted them.  
  
“My team will charge ahead,” the quarian said. “Keep them off you.”  
  
Sara nodded once. “My team will keep a low profile and plant the charges.”  
  
Joh’Zolan leaned onto his hands, his head bowed. “I want you to take my engineer with you,” he said.  
  
“What?” Sara blinked at him.   
  
Before the Pathfinder could answer, Vetra’s multi-toned voice was in her ear.  
  
“Ryder,” the turian said.   
  
“Talk to me.” Sara spun away from Joh’Zolan, and met Reyes’ golden eyes.  
  
Vetra sighed. “Laela was able to ID the quarian,” she said.   
  
Sara’s stomach dropped, and judging from Reyes’ suddenly concerned expression, her dread must have been plain on her face.  
  
“It’s Tael’Zolan,” Vetra said, her voice hardly more than a whisper.  
  
“What’s happening?” The quarian Pathfinder demanded from behind her.  
  
Sara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Please have Lexi prepare him for visitation,” she said. “We’ll be there soon.”  
  
“You got it, Ryder.” The comm clicked off, leaving Sara to her thoughts as they spun away from her. Joh’Zolan had only just started to agree with her, had only just begun to treat her something like an equal. And she would repay him with the body of his dead son.  
  
Reyes and Scott mirrored her suddenly grim expression; Vetra’s communication had been over their open channel. When she turned to face the Pathfinder, the purple lights of his eyes darted behind his mask.  
  
“What’s happened?” He was tense, though it was difficult to tell the difference from his usual body language in his blood red envirosuit.   
  
Swallowing the building bile in her throat, Sara met Joh’Zolan’s gaze. “We found something during our last away mission,” she said.  
  
He held her gaze for a moment, and then darted between her brother and lover. “What is it?” Even through the respirator, the foreboding in his voice was plain for all to hear.  
  
“I think it’s best if I show you,” she said.   
  
The quarian stood still for a moment, then glanced back at his second-in-command. Zoldat nodded, apparently agreeing to some unspoken order, and then Joh’Zolan sighed. “Lead the way,” he said.  
  
  
  
  


Reyes sat in the galley, nursing a beer while he watched Sara pace in the hall. He had tried to occupy himself with Pok’s report, but between the salarian and the Tempest’s engineer, there really wasn’t much for him to do. He’d set the pieces in motion, and now they performed just as he’d planned. It was rare that something went so smoothly, which meant that it had been inevitable that something would have to go wrong.  
  
Planning an assault on the Kett flagship, and then revealing that they had Tael’Zolan’s corpse on board definitely fit the bill.  
  
He fidgeted with the label on the beer bottle as he listened to Sara’s sneakers tread through the hall; anything to keep his focus off the sickening fear that clawed at his throat. This was the last thing she needed right now. He knew his Sarita, and no matter how much of a pain in the ass Joh’Zolan was, her heart bled for him in this moment. And with their most critical and life-threatening mission still ahead of them, the coldest parts of Reyes couldn’t help but consider the Zolan family’s loss a distraction.  
  
Sara needed to be focused, her head needed to be clear. There would be no room for error on the Archon’s ship, and anything that distracted her from that was a threat.  
  
That included himself.  
  
“Wow,” Scott said as he entered the galley. “That is some top-notch brooding, Vidal.”  
  
Reyes barely controlled the snarl that built in his chest. Scott ignored him, turning his back on the man to reach into the refrigerator.  
  
“Joh’Zolan still hasn’t come out?”  
  
Reyes shook his head. “Laela went in about a half an hour ago.”  
  
Scott popped the cap off a beer of his own, and used the bottle to gesture toward the hall. “She been pacing this whole time?”  
  
Reyes nodded, glancing at the doorway.  
  
“She won’t be able to help him,” Scott said.  
  
“She knows,” Reyes said. “But, that doesn’t mean she won’t try.”   
  
Scott opened his mouth, but fell silent as Sara stepped into view. She was pale, her long hair bunched up in a messy bun at the top of her head, and she chewed at her bottom lip furiously. Reyes wanted to go to her, to reach out and stop her worrying before she made her lip bleed, but her eyes kept him in his seat. Her eyes were pale and distant, glassy mirrors for the thoughts that spun through her mind.  
  
She wasn’t on the Tempest just then. If he had to guess, she was back on Ryder-1, or maybe thinking over whatever it was she kept from them about her mission on the Archon’s ship. Neither scenario was good, but for once he didn’t know what to do about it. She’d been too agitated before, had asked him to leave her alone for the time being. That’s why he was in the galley and not out in the hall with her.  
  
Sara paused at the sound of a door sliding open, and then she spun to look at the medbay. Reyes and Scott shared a glance, and then both moved to follow after her.  
  
“We are taking my cousin home,” Laela’Vaar said to Sara. “We’ll place him in stasis until we can give him a proper farewell.” The quarian’s voice was thick and sounded almost blotchy.   
  
Movement caught Reyes’ eye, and he noticed Vetra standing at the edge of the hall, her bright green eyes never leaving the quarian engineer.  
  
Laela reached out to Sara, placing one three-fingered hand on the Pathfinder’s arm. “Thank you, Ryder,” she said.  
  
Sara shook her head. “I’m sorry we didn’t get here sooner,” she said, and her voice was rife with sincerity.  
  
Reyes closed his eyes against her voice. Of course she would blame herself.  
  
“As are we,” Laela said, but there was no blame in her words. She paused, and turned to look back at the medbay. Joh’Zolan appeared, cradling his son against his chest, the vibrant green suit sharp against his ominous red one. Tael’Zolan had not been a small quarian, but his father carried him without strain, his back rigid and his grip around his son’s waist and legs firm. He was a parent performing a solemn duty; seeing his child laid to rest.  
  
Joh’Zolan paused before Ryder, and nodded to her once. He did not speak and he did not look at anyone else before he made his way off of the Tempest. Laela followed him dutifully, pausing briefly to squeeze Vetra’s hand. And then they were gone.  
  
Sara watched them go, her gaze determined even as the tears welled in her eyes. Once they were out of sight she avoided the glances of those gathered and went straight to her quarters.  
  
Scott winced as the door hissed shut behind her. He clapped Reyes on the back once. “Give her some space,” he said. “She’s gonna be shaky for a few days.”  
  
Reyes wanted to snap that he knew that, that he knew her, but that wouldn’t be fair. Scott had the best intentions, and Reyes’ ill temper was more a product of his own fear and tension than it was Scott’s hands-on personality. Plus, it was hard to stay mad at the man when he wore his love for his sister on his sleeve like that. So, Reyes nodded instead, and headed up to the biolab.   
  
“SAM?” He asked the room once he was there.  
  
“Yes, Mr. Vidal?” The AI replied.  
  
Reyes sighed. “Let her know that I’m here,” he said. “And that I’ll come down whenever she’s ready.”  
  
“Of course, Mr. Vidal,” SAM said.  
  
He glanced around the biolab for a moment, surprised to find that he felt somehow out of place there. It was his office, his Tartarus away from home. He had never felt ill at ease there before, but now all he wanted was to be where Sara was, even if she didn’t want him there.  
  
He sighed, shook his head, and slumped into his chair. She needed space, and he needed to get his head clear for when she was ready to talk. He booted up his terminal, and resigned himself to work. Nothing could bury emotions quite like a solid eight hours of Charlatan work, so he might as well dig in.  
  
  
  
  


Reyes was avoiding her; Sara was sure of it. It’d been a week since they’d left the Keelah Si’yah to help set the probes to find the ark a way back to Alcaeus. And each day Reyes holed himself away in the biolab, working on infiltrating Addison’s server. He rose early, and stayed up late. Some nights he didn’t come to bed at all, and though Sara understood his devotion to his work, she couldn’t combat the gnawing doubt that filled her stomach with each passing day.  
  
Scott tried to soothe her.   
  
“He’s probably just nervous about hitting the Archon’s ship,” her brother said over breakfast. “It’s a critical mission.”  
  
“Not to mention absolutely mental,” Gil drawled. “You’d think one Archon would be good enough, but not for our Ryder.” He sipped at his sweetened, pale coffee. “Nope, she’s got to take on another one!”  
  
The twins glared at the engineer, who pointedly ignored their disapproval in favor of his omnitool.  
  
Scott rolled his eyes and then turned his attention back to his sister. “Stop being stupid and just go talk to him.”  
  
Sara nodded and pushed her eggs around on her plate. She wasn’t going to eat them; they’d gone cold as she moped and whined to her brother. She stood and swept the leftover food into the compost bin, and then left the galley. She marched up to the biolab, unsurprised to see that the door was shut. Reyes preferred privacy while he conducted Collective business, and lately he’d seemed to prefer privacy in general.  
  
She took a deep breath, about to open the door, when Lexi spoke from behind her.  
  
“Everything all right, Sara?” The doctor asked. Her calm voice, warm and patient, told Sara that she already knew the answer.  
  
Sara ran a hand through her hair. “Fine,” she lied.  
  
Lexi’s head tilted, gray eyes boring into her patient. “Hitting another Archon,” she mused. “How are you feeling?”  
  
Sara didn’t meet the doctor’s gaze. “This isn’t really the place to discuss it.”  
  
“I’m free, if you want to come down to the medbay,” Lexi continued.   
  
Sara glanced back at the closed biolab door. She could picture Reyes at his desk, his amber eyes sharp and focused as he whittled away at Addison’s defenses. He would be hunched over the desk, dark circles under his eyes from hours of concentration and neglect. He hardly slept, and doubtless he would forget to eat. She should check in on him, should talk to him about what to expect when they took the fight to the Archon.   
  
But, her own doubt strangled her. If he wanted space, she would give it to him. She didn’t need to make him worry about her, not when they had such an important mission looming ahead of them. And she had to admit, for once, talking to Lexi seemed easier than opening that door just then.  
  
Shaking her head, she turned back to her friend. “Sounds good,” she said, and followed the asari down to the medbay for a nice long chat. If Reyes wasn’t an option, at least she had her psychologist.  
  
  
  
  


The biolab door hissed open, startling Reyes from the files he’d just stolen from the Director of Colonial Affairs. Blinking, his eyes stinging and sore from so many hours staring at a screen, he turned to see Dr. T’Perro enter his office. The door closed behind her, and her stormy expression made him feel as if he were suddenly in trouble somehow.  
  
“Dr. T’Perro,” he greeted. He smiled, though the expression felt foreign on his face, the muscles accustomed to a long week of frowning at data as it came in from Addison’s server. “What can I do for you?”  
  
Lexi stopped short of his personal space. He half expected her to lean against his desk, but instead she cocked one hip and crossed her arms over her chest. The body language was hostile, and he knew that any tells on the part of the psychologist were one hundred percent intentional.  
  
“Why are you avoiding Sara?” She asked. It was the most straightforward question the doctor had ever asked him.  
  
“Why do you think I’m avoiding her?” He hedged. He turned his eyes back to the terminal, closing the documents currently open on the screen.  
  
“Because she was in my office for the past half hour trying damn hard not to cry about it.”  
  
He snapped to attention, searching the asari’s face for any hint of a lie. Of course, there was none. He sighed and spun in his chair to face her. “I’m not avoiding her,” he said. “I’m just, giving her some space after everything with Joh’Zolan.”  
  
Lexi rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t need space,” she said.  
  
Reyes shrugged. “That’s not what she told me.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I tried to talk to her about it, told her I was ready when she was.” He shook his head, that cloying fear churning in his gut. “She’s shut down.”  
  
The doctor sighed. “This isn’t even about Joh’Zolan, not really.”  
  
Reyes’ brow knotted. “What is it about, then?”  
  
“I can’t tell you,” she said. She held up her hand to stave off his annoyance. “I take Doctor-Patient confidentiality very seriously, especially when it comes to the Pathfinder’s well-being,” she said.   
  
He was about to point out the flaw in that logic when the asari took a deep breath and set her most commanding glare on the Charlatan.   
  
“Now, I strongly suggest you head down to the Pathfinder’s quarters and talk to Ryder before she tears herself apart analyzing every awkward silence from this past week.”  
  
Reyes winced. “I deserved that,” he mumbled.  
  
“Yes, you did.” Lexi eyed him for a moment longer, then left him alone in the biolab.  
  
He sat for a moment, still and uncertain. He’d tried to do the right thing, what Sara herself had wanted. But upon reflection, he’d also done the easy thing. He’d used her request for distance as an excuse to stuff down and avoid his own feelings. He’d promised to do better than that, and he’d failed.  
  
With a sigh, he stood and walked down to their bedroom, his guilt mounting with each step. When the door opened to reveal Sara sitting on the edge of her side of the bed, her face streaked with tears, Reyes felt something in his chest snap.  
  
She looked up at him, and her chin wobbled as she took him in. “Hey,” she said after the door closed behind him.  
  
“Hey,” he said. He stood there for an awkward moment, then shook his head. “This is ridiculous,” he said, and then moved to sit beside Sara on their bed.   
  
She looked up at him, her blue eyes shining, and gave him the smallest of smiles. Reyes’ heart clenched, a now familiar feeling whenever he lost himself in her gaze. Slowly, he bent to kiss her, their lips tremulous and careful.  
  
“Ready to talk?” He asked once they broke apart. Their foreheads touched, and he felt the shakiness of her breath as she exhaled.  
  
“Not really,” she whispered. She kissed him, her lips swift and chaste. “But, okay.”  
  
He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and waited for her to speak. Reyes watched as she gathered herself, steeled her emotions for whatever it was she needed to say.  
  
“There’s something I never told you,” she said.   
  
His heart rate ratcheted up. She wasn’t the one with secrets, she wasn’t the one with darkness that lingered on her soul. She was spring sunshine to his frigid winter chill. She was his Princesa, his Sarita, full of laughter and good intentions.   
  
“The last time I infiltrated an Archon’s ship,” she said, pausing to take another steadying breath. She seemed to weigh her words, but couldn’t seem to find the ones she really wanted. She shrugged and looked away from him, to her hands where they fidgeted in her lap. “I died.”  
  
Reyes blinked at her. The words rebounded through his head, meaningless. Died? She was right in front of him, small and fragile, shrunken into herself as she awaited his response. But, she was most definitely alive. The warmth radiating from her skin and the lingering taste of her lips on his were proof enough.  
  
As the silence stretched on, Sara looked up at him again. His shock must have been apparent, because she dove into a hasty string of explanations.  
  
“There were these restraints, and the Archon injected me with something, and the restraints were connected to my heartbeat. So, SAM and I agreed that if my heart stopped I could escape the trap and let Liam and Jaal free too. But, there was no guarantee SAM would be able to bring me back, and I didn’t know what else to do so I told him-”  
  
Fresh tears mangled her words and horror gripped him as he finally understood what she told him. She had died. Her heart had stopped beating so that she could escape some sort of trap, and she had _died_. His arms were leaden, too heavy to wrap around her like he wanted to; he just stared at her, the words resounding in his ears.   
  
_Sara had died_.  
  
Unbidden, the mask of the Charlatan clicked into place, effectively slamming the door on the wall of emotion that boiled in him at the very thought of Sara being forced into such a decision. The cool, calculating side of him took control on pure instinct, looking at the details of her story and piecing them together. Keeping him sane.  
  
He tilted his head, and though he looked at her, he didn’t really see her. He was lost in a memory. “That time you came to Tartarus,” he said. “You’d been in the Tafeno system, with no plans to return to the Port.” His eyes refocused, abandoning the memory of Sara’s frantic fingers at his collar as she’d dragged him to his bed in order to really see her. “I knew something had happened…” he trailed off. For once, he didn’t have any words to say.  
  
She nodded. She struggled to bring her emotions under control. “I needed to feel alive,” she said. “I needed to be sure.” She reached up to cup his cheek, her red-rimmed eyes searching his. “I needed you.”  
  
She’d needed him. Not the Charlatan, not Vidal the Smuggler. She’d needed him, needed Reyes, and as he stared at her, he realized how much she needed him now. What a fool he’d been to think distance could save either of them from the threat that awaited. She’d died once, and this time it could be either of them forced to choose between life and death.  
  
Even his best facade couldn’t hold back the storm such thoughts whipped up in him. The cool calm of the Charlatan fell away, the crash of a glacier meeting the sea as he pulled her face to his. Sara wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her fingers clawing through his shirt to dig into his skin. He didn’t care, he just kept kissing her, determined to memorize every detail of her lips on his, the taste of her tongue as it tangled with his own, and the scent of her skin.  
  
A moment later their clothes lay heaped on the floor as Reyes pressed Sara back onto the bed. They always understood one another best when skin to skin, and they had a week’s worth of silence to make up for.  
  
And he intended to make up for it by worshiping every inch of her skin until he laid their every fear to rest.


	33. Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Guys. We are so. freaking. close. Hang in there. I love you all for reading this far. Thank you for all the comments and kudos this last year, they've meant the world to me.

Sara lay in the dark of the Pathfinder’s quarters, staring out of the thick glass and into the dark space beyond. Alcaeus was beautiful, in its own way. The scourge was worse in the cluster than in Heleus, which was a staggering thought. Suvi suspected there were entire star systems that their sensors couldn’t detect because the dark energy was so pervasive. And though they’d met more Kett than she would have liked, their presence was limited to systems that were relatively scourge-free.  
  
She’d hoped to discover the kett homeworld, to learn more about their origins. In a perfect world, maybe even enter into diplomatic discussions with their leadership. But, after months of exploring the cluster and combating kett forces, it was clear to her now that Alcaeus was not their home. It was just another cluster under siege. Something in her stirred at the thought, something angry that demanded action. But she stuffed it away for later. She could use righteous anger when they took the fight to the Archon, but for now she wanted to rest in peace, content with the warmth of Reyes against her back.  
  
Carefully, she rolled over to face him. He didn’t stir as she settled into place, his breathing soft and deep. She took her time, memorizing his features as he slept, one of the only times he truly looked at peace. His dark hair was long and mussed from her hands clinging to it. The sides were growing out from the tight shave he usually maintained, and the longest locks at the front were creeping to nose-length instead of dropping to his brow. She decided she liked it. Less Charlatan, less suave smuggler, and much more Reyes. Much more hers.  
  
For the first time in weeks Reyes’ brow was smooth, unfurrowed in the weightlessness of sleep. It made him look so much younger, and yet she didn’t fail to notice the lines that had appeared at the corners of his eyes. They were shallow now, hints of the creases his laughter would reveal, shadows of what could be wrinkles if given enough time.  
  
There was so much that might be, if only they had enough time.  
  
She focused on the perfect slope of his nose, refusing to get lost in thoughts of the future. Her eyes trailed down the bridge of his nose to settle on his mouth. His full lips were parted slightly, his jaw relaxed, and Sara fought back the urge to run her finger along the stubble on his skin. Reyes was a light sleeper; if she touched him, he would wake up, and though he looked peaceful enough, she knew from experience that he often jolted awake and in defense mode.  
  
His brow tightened as she watched him, his mouth pouting ever so slightly as he reached out for her. His hand found the swell of her hip and his face relaxed. He sighed, rubbed her hip a few times, and then fell back into the stillness of deep sleep. Sara smiled against a rush of emotion and tried very hard not to think about what would become of Reyes if something happened to her.  
  
“Sara,” SAM said, the AI’s voice soft even over their private terminal. Sara wiped at her face, trying to banish the tears that had started to fall. “Pathfinder Zolan is available on vidcon,” SAM continued.  
  
She nodded once, and then stood silently to dress. Sara took care not to wake Reyes, she wanted him to sleep in peace for as long as he could. Besides, she would wake him up soon enough; there was only one reason Joh’Zolan would call her.  
  
It was time.  
  
  


Sara eyed the Quarian in the indigo envirosuit. “Are you ready for this?”  
  
Pale blue eyelights gazed out of the suit’s mask to meet Sara’s gaze. “This is not my first mission, Pathfinder,” Laela’Vaar said. She checked her pistol, a highly modified Carnifex, and then holstered it at her hip.  
  
“And how many Archons have you killed?” Reyes asked from behind Laela. His voice was cold and dismissive and his amber eyes were hard in the low light of the cargo bay.  
  
Sara shot him a glare and he gave her an unapologetic shrug before he moved to lean against the Nomad with her brother.  
  
“Is your boyfriend always such a bosh’tet?” Laela asked.  
  
Sara chuckled. “You have no idea.” She went to run her hand through her hair, but it was back in a tight braid. “Our squad will do our best to lay low and get you where you need to be in order to plant the charges. But if you think we aren’t going to shoot some Kett today…”  
  
“I am not worried,” Laela said. Her filtered voice was sharp enough to puncture an envirosuit. “The Kett will not survive meeting me.”  
  
Sara winced, but nodded. “Just focus on the mission. Blowing the Archon’s ship to hell and back ought to be vengeance enough for all of us.”  
  
“They experimented on my cousin,” Laela snapped. “There will never be enough vengeance.”  
  
Sara wanted to tell Laela that her line of thinking would only lead to obsession and prolong her heartbreak, but the quarian didn’t want her philosophical ideas. She was hurting, mourning the loss of her cousin all over again. There would be time after the mission to help her cope with her feelings.  
  
Assuming they survived, of course.  
  
Joh’Zolan and his squad arrived from the vidcon a moment later. Sara had been surprised to see that Zoldat had been left back on the Ark, Joh’Zolan bringing the Volus and his last remaining quarian squadmates instead. It needled at her that he would leave his second-in-command behind, though she suspected it had more to do with his distrust of the Collective than some suicidal contingency plan.  
  
“Pathfinder,” he greeted her with a nod.  
  
“Pathfinder,” she replied.  
  
He looked at his niece for a moment, then said, “give us a moment, Laela.”  
  
She bowed her head. “Of course, Uncle.” Then she moved off to join Scott and Reyes. Sara watched for a moment, noting Scott’s practiced calm as he leaned against the Nomad. He radiated peace and confidence, even though she knew he was as nervous and fearful as she was. But Scott kept it stuffed down, so that those gathered might feel that much better about their odds.  
  
She really needed to tell her brother how wonderful he was more often.  
  
Reyes was the opposite of Scott. His shoulders were rigid, his mouth a firm line under his hard gaze. He was coiled tight, and though no one would ever think he was afraid, Sara knew he was. He hid behind the cold demeanor of the Charlatan because his emotions would run wild otherwise. The only thing that kept him from being downright murderous was Scott’s affable company and the tiny glimmer of hope that maybe things would go their way for once.  
  
She turned her attention back to the Quarian Pathfinder. “This mission is likely to go off the rails,” she murmured. “You should speak with Laela.”  
  
Joh’Zolan sighed, a painful sound through the respirator on his mask. “Laela and I have already said all that can be. My team will do our part. Make sure yours does the same and we all just might get through this.”  
  
Sara considered him for a moment. “Why didn’t you bring Zoldat?” She asked. “Your team is attempting to assassinate the Archon, and you don’t bring your assassin?”  
  
Joh’Zolan snorted. “Zoldat is a good second, an even better friend, but he hasn’t assassinated anyone in over a decade.” He shook his head. “He’s best suited to making sure the Ark escapes this cluster.”  
  
She waited a moment, but the Pathfinder didn’t elaborate further. “If you’re sure,” she said with a shrug.  
  
“I don’t tell you not to bring that Collective thug with you everywhere you go,” he said.  
  
Sara laughed. “As if I could get him to stay behind.”  
  
“I suspect getting Zoldat to leave the Ark would be an equally futile effort.”  
  
Sara smiled at Joh’Zolan, and for the first time something like camaraderie passed between them.  
  
“Ryder,” Kallo’s voice snapped over the open comm. “Ready for deployment in five minutes.”  
  
“Thanks, Kallo.” She stood a little straighter as she turned to face the assembled crew. Vetra had come to stand beside Laela, no doubt still furious that she wasn’t coming along. Sara understood the turian’s feelings, but they needed to keep the squad small. Gil stood above them, his elbows resting on the railing as he leaned over to keep his eyes on Scott. The engineer was almost as good at masking his feelings as Reyes, but she knew he hated it when she took her brother on missions, let alone one as dangerous as this. He would never forgive her if something happened to Scott.  
  
She would just have to make sure nothing did.  
  
“Five minutes, people,” she called. “Do your last minute weapons checks, say your goodbyes. Whatever you need to do to be ready.” She glanced around the room and nodded. Attention drifted from her to fall into nervous pre-mission chatter. Except for Reyes. His eyes held hers for a moment, a reminder of the words they’d already shared in private. She suspected that they’d been a fraction of what either of them had really wanted to say, but it was enough.  
  
He was following her into a nightmare she knew all too well; that told her everything she needed to know.  
  
  


“How’s that charge coming, Laela?” Sara shouted over the din of battle. A Destined materialized in front of her, and she threw a biotic lance into its face. The Kett stumbled back, then there was the heavy thump of Scott’s Isharay. And then the Destined’s head exploded. Sara skirted around the sinking corpse and biotic charged into the Anointed that was pummeling Reyes’ cover. The gatling gun ceased firing as the Kett recovered its balance, giving Sara enough time to pull up her biotic aegis. “Laela!”  
  
“Almost done,” the quarian called back.  
  
Sara grimaced as the rounds of the Anointed’s gun ricocheted off her shield, the impacts vibrating up her arm unpleasantly. The bullets pummeled back into the Kett, eating away its shields.  
  
“Get down!” Reyes shouted.  
  
She spun just in time to see him chuck a grenade over the toppled lab table he used for cover. Sara searched the room, found a Chosen honing in on Laela’s location, and biotic charged toward it and away from the grenade. Her world whirled into bright purples and blues and all sound dimmed, as if she were suddenly underwater. When everything returned to her, the Chosen flew back, dead before it hit the ground.  
  
And then the grenade went off.  
  
Reyes whooped once loudly, and then all was silent. Sara panted as she approached the quarian where she toiled with planting and priming the explosive device. It was their third charge, and their third skirmish. This one had been more difficult than the last, and Sara knew there were more Kett where those had come from.  
  
“All done,” Laela finally said. She stood and brushed her hands in satisfaction and looked at Sara. “Two more to go.”  
  
She nodded and took a moment to catch her breath. Her head ached in tiny twinges above her left eye, but it was mild enough that she was sure she could ignore it.  
  
“You all right, Sis?” Scott asked as he reached her.  
  
“I’m fine,” she said. She stood up straight and shook her head once. “Let’s get moving.” She ignored the concerned glance her brother shot at Reyes. She couldn’t keep them from worrying, but the sooner they finished this mission, the sooner they wouldn’t have to.  
  
“Status report,” Joh’Zolan barked in her ear.  
  
“Three out of five charges planted,” she said. She glanced around the room at all the scattered and dismembered corpses. “And a whole lot of dead Kett in our wake. You?”  
  
“Suspiciously little interference,” he said. “According to your SAM’s records, we have three more rooms to clear before reaching the Archon’s quarters.”  
  
She nodded, though he couldn’t see it. “Good luck, and keep in touch.”  
  
“Same to you, Pathfinder.”  
  
She glanced over her shoulder to see Scott’s brow quirked at her. “Wasn’t he supposed to be the distraction while we planted the charges?”  
  
She shrugged. “If we have to kill a few more Kett for him to get a clear shot at the Archon, I’m okay with that.”  
  
“You think the Archon might escape our trap?” He asked.  
  
“I don’t want to give him the chance,” she said. She pointedly ignored the sinking feeling in her gut. “SAM,” she said. “Where to next?”  
  
“Marking the coordinates on your map,” the AI said. A split second later her heads-up-display bore a new blinking icon, pointing her in the right direction.  
  
Her team fell in line as she led their way through the ship. There was another brief skirmish while Laela planted another explosive, but the Kett were quickly dispatched. The squad was about to enter the next room, a large cargo bay, when Joh’Zolan spoke in her ear.  
  
“We’ve reached the Archon’s quarters,” he whispered. “Status?”  
  
“About to plant our final charge,” she replied, her voice just as subdued. “Joh’Zolan, don’t expect to get the jump on him. Something doesn’t feel right.”  
  
“Don’t worry, Ryder,” he said. “I always expect the worst. We’ll be in touch.” The comm clicked as he cut the connection. She looked back to find all three of her squadmates watching her with concern in their eyes. She heaved a sigh and hook her head once. “Let’s get this over with.”  
  
She should have known it couldn’t be that easy.  
  
The Archon sent his best forces to defend the cargo bay. A handful of Destined glimmered in and out of sight while three Anointed pinned them down. That wouldn’t have been so bad, if it hadn’t been for the two Fiends and the Ascendant that accompanied them.  
  
The coordinated forces kept her and her team on the move, which meant Laela couldn’t plant her charge.  
  
“Scott,” Sara called as she brained a defenseless Anointed with another biotic lance. “You and Laela cloak and get out of range.”  
  
Her brother didn’t reply, but both he and the quarian vanished from sight. A moment later two assault turrets appeared, flanking the Ascendant and slowly chipping away at its shield. But that left her and Reyes to fend off the Fiends.  
  
A deep roar echoed through the cavernous room and Sara was reminded of her encounter with the Eirochs on Elaaden. That battle had very nearly killed her, thanks to a biotic amp that couldn’t handle her implant’s output. She would just have to hope that the Princesa-1 was up to the challenge.  
  
She bolted to join Reyes behind the metal railing that separated them from the Fiends on the level below them. “Tell me you have omni grenades,” she panted.  
  
He grinned at her and held up his hands. Nestled in each one was a silver orb. “I’ve got omni grenades,” he replied. His thumbs pressed into the center of each one, and then a small blue light began to blink. “Incoming!” He shouted, and then knelt up to aim his throws.  
  
Several seconds passed, and then two explosions detonated. The Fiends roared in pain, and Sara couldn’t fight a smile of her own. “God damn, you’re good,” she said.  
  
“Hey! That’s my line!”  
  
She didn’t linger long enough to get caught up in battle banter. Sara charged down into one Fiend, and then rolled to avoid the furious swipe of the second one. A loud whump announced Scott’s Isharay an instant before the energy round took the first Fiend in the eye.  
  
“Always have to be the center of attention, don’t you?” He teased over the comm.  
  
“You’re the one stealing the show,” she panted.  
  
“Do you people always talk while fighting for your lives?” Laela asked. Sara couldn’t find the quarian, which hopefully meant she was cloaked and planting that last explosive.  
  
“Gotta have fun somehow,” Reyes chimed in.  
  
“You mean fighting Fiends isn’t fun?” Sara dodged the falling mass of Scott’s dead Fiend, and charged into the second one.  
  
“I’m sure it would be,” he said. “But a certain set of twins never leave any for me.”  
  
“Reyes,” Scott interrupted, his voice serious. “Watch the Ascendant.”  
  
“Got it,” he said.  
  
Sara glanced around the room to see the rippling orange shield of the Ascendant levitate toward the last place Reyes had taken cover. The distraction was all it took for the Fiend to snatch her up in one of its giant claws.  
  
“Sara!” Scott shouted in her ear, but she hardly noticed it. Her blood pounded in her ears, and she swore her ribs creaked under the pressure of the Fiends grip. In that moment she could smell the Eiroch’s cavern all over again, musty and hot even so far beneath the surface, could hear Scott’s panicked shouts and the desperate thumps of his rifles.  
  
Or was that happening now?  
  
She couldn’t breathe, her lungs couldn’t expand enough to draw breath. She looked up, and though her vision dimmed at the edges, she saw the red, angry mouth of the Fiend, and knew she was about to be eaten.  
  
“No!” Came another shout, one that stirred at something deep in her chest. She had to get to that voice. With one last effort of will, Sara drew the dark energy from the air around her, pulled it from within the Fiend and from within herself. She grimaced against the pain in her chest where the Fiend’s thick fingers tightened around her, against the furious spike of ice that planted behind her eye, and screamed.  
  
The energy exploded from her, taking her voice and what little breath she had left with it. Blood, warm and sticky, pooled under her nose and from the wetness at her neck, from her ears too. The world spun as she fell from the Fiend’s grip, but she didn’t have enough air in her lungs to grunt when she hit the floor. She struggled to stand, but had only made it to her knees by the time Scott reached her.  
  
“Sara!” He gripped her arm, then slung it over his shoulder to hoist her up to her feet. “Oh, God, not again,” he breathed. “SAM?”  
  
“Assessing,” the AI replied.  
  
Wild bursts of rifle fire interrupted Scott’s breathless pleas, and Sara lifted her head enough to see the Ascendant corner Reyes on the level above them.  
  
“No,” she shouted, but her voice was broken, the word was hardly even a whisper from her lips. She found her feet and struggled against her brother.  
  
“Sara, no,” he snapped. He grappled with her flailing arms to bend them behind her back. “You can’t!”  
  
The Ascendant drew closer to Reyes, who reloaded his rifle and continued firing at the little shield generator that orbited the Kett. She struggled against Scott, even though she knew he was right. She was in no shape to fight the Ascendant, she could barely keep her head up! But, she also knew that she couldn’t just stand by and watch Reyes die.  
  
If it came down to a choice between her life, or his, it was no choice at all.  
  
She would choose Reyes. Every. Single. Time.


	34. Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you, all of you, for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos for all these months. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Here we go.

Sara slammed her head back into Scott’s face and winced at the sharp crunch his nose made. “Sorry,” she said, though she doubted he heard her ruined voice over his violent cursing. She felt bad for hurting Scott, but she didn’t have time to beg his forgiveness.  
  
Reyes was about to die.  
  
She stumbled briefly as her knees struggled to keep her upright, the motion making her head swim. The Ascendant. She had to find the Ascendant. Slowly, her head wobbled on her neck until she could look up at the mezzanine above her.  
  
The Ascendant had Reyes pinned down, one of its long arms reaching for him. Reyes continued to fire his assault rifle into the shield generator, but he was out of time.  
  
Sara didn’t think, didn’t pause to consider that she might not survive this encounter. Ultimately, she decided, it didn’t really matter. She pulled on dark energy once more, something so natural to her, that had taken most of her life and considerable, dedicated training to hone into the effective weapon it was. But it was sluggish this time. It took more energy, more force of will for her to gather her biotics, and when she initiated her charge it felt as if she coursed through the room in slow motion.  
  
Her head pounded and she had to close her eyes against the swirl of colors. Had her biotics been darker than usual? More black than blue, like the thunder clouds that birthed tornadoes back on Earth. That couldn’t be good. She wondered at it briefly, and then she collided with the Ascendant.  
  
Sound returned to her, crashing and booming with the reports of rifle fire and Scott’s furious voice over the comm.  
  
“You’re going to kill yourself!”  
  
She didn’t have the energy to tell him he was probably right. The Ascendant’s shield was down and it had spun to face her, exposing its back to Reyes. Sara smiled, even as she lost her footing and fell to one knee. She let her head fall back to stare up at the Kett, and blinked against the flickering blue edges of her vision.  
  
…wait.  
  
“Sara!” Scott shouted at her. “Hit it with something!”  
  
She blinked again, but the blue wavering light didn’t fade. It was biotics. Her brother’s biotics. She called up her energy one more time and the pain in her head made her fall into one palm planted on the floor. Her other hand cradled her head just above her left eye. It was warm and wet, no doubt covered in her own blood. She pushed through the pain, too tired to even scream through her gritted teeth, and refocused on using her biotics.  
  
It was slow to respond. Painfully slow. But after what felt like an age, she felt the ripple of energy in her chest. Her head hurt too much to funnel the power into any sort of move or ability she’d been taught, so she simply released it in a devastating wave of dark energy.  
  
As the violet wave poured out from her, Reyes leapt at the Ascendant. She watched in detached awe as the Charlatan wrapped an arm around the Kett’s neck and anchored himself there. He pulled the Kett’s head to one side and slammed the knife from his boot up to the hilt into the Ascendant’s neck.  
  
Then her tsunami of biotic energy collided with Scott’s Singularity. Sara’s world went white as the crackling warp of a biotic detonation rendered her deaf, and then everything fell into black as she slumped to the floor.  
  
  


The Ascendant was dead, he knew it the moment his knife sank into its leathery neck. What he hadn’t known was that he was about to be on the receiving end of a biotic fucking bomb. The explosion was enormous, rocking the large cargo bay and blocking out all sight and sound for a few long and painful seconds. Seconds in which Reyes was weightless.  
  
And then he slammed into a wall some twenty feet from where he’d stood and was brutally reacquainted with reality. Everything hurt, his ears rang and his eyes wept as if he’d stood on top of a flashbang. His ribs were most certainly cracked, if not broken, if the fiery pain in his sides was any indication, and his head throbbed at the base of his skull where it’d connected with the wall. The world spun in and out of focus, and a wave of nausea suggested a concussion.  
  
“Sara!” Scott yelled, and Reyes winced against the sharp sound in his ear. He blinked, trying to settle his sight, and was surprised to see another whirl of purple light. Then Scott was on the mezzanine, crouching before the crumpled ruins of the Ascendant.  
  
…wait.  
  
Not the Ascendant.  
  
“No,” Scott’s voice came over the comm. “Come on, Sis.” The younger twin’s voice broke and his breathing was wet and ragged. Reyes saw his shoulders shake as he knelt over the still form in the purple N7 armor. “Please.”  
  
No. Reyes’ brain stopped. He couldn’t look away from the horrible stillness of her body.  
  
“I am attempting de-fibrillation,” SAM said, but the words were far away. They couldn’t be real. This wasn’t how things ended. Not here, not her.  
  
Reyes groaned as he moved to stand. His feet were awkward beneath him, and one ankle sent a jolt of sharp pain up the side of his calf with every step. But he didn’t stop until he fell to his knees in front of Scott, Sara prone between them.  
  
Her face was pale and streaked with dark red blood. He reached shaking fingers to brush the loose strands of hair from her face, and they came away tinged in her blood. She wasn’t breathing.  
  
“SAM,” he croaked. His mouth was dry, his lips stuck together, as if they could prevent tragedy by merely keeping the words inside. “Is she…?”  
  
Scott wept openly, and envy flashed through Reyes. Why wasn’t he crying? Why was everything so still inside when everything else was spinning wildly out of his control?  
  
“De-fibrillation unsuccessful. She requires cardiopulmonary resuscitation.”  
  
Reyes didn’t respond, he just stared at her as the numbing chill of grief climbed up his veins.  
  
“Mr. Vidal,” the AI snapped. “You must perform CPR.”  
  
CPR. He could do that. He’d learned it in the Alliance, had been a secondary medic 684 years ago and a galaxy away. Lifetimes ago. But he was too shocked to doubt SAM’s instructions. On instinct drilled into him from years of military service, Reyes unfastened the clasps on the chest piece of Sara’s armor and removed it so that his hands could push against her chest.  
  
She wore her usual form-fitting bodysuit beneath her armor, and her skin was still warm under his hands. How could she be so warm and be… No. Don’t think, just press.  
  
And he did. He crossed his hands and knelt above her, compressing her chest in a rhythmic set of fives until he reached thirty. He ignored Scott’s sobs, unable to acknowledge them without admitting to himself that he might not be able to save her.  
  
“Come back to me,” he breathed as he pressed against her chest. “Vamos, Sara, respira! Please!” Then he tilted her head back, pinched her nose closed and put his mouth on hers. Reyes didn’t care about the blood that transferred from her lips to his, he didn’t care about Joh’Zolan’s desperate squawking over his comm.  
  
He only cared about giving her his every breath, about rocking his palms into her chest in a steady rhythm that his heart outpaced by nearly double. He only cared that he was Sara Ryder’s last chance at life; her only hope.  
  
  


Hot air poured into Sara’s lungs and lit her chest on fire. Other parts of her joined in the searing heat as her back arched up off the ground and she gasped and hacked. Wounds were reawakened by her return to consciousness, and they were apparently very angry about it. She tried to sit up, but firm hands on her chest held her in place.  
  
“Hold still,” Reyes said, but his voice was hardly recognizable to her. It was so thin and rough, as if stuck in his throat. “SAM?” He asked, but the AIs name sounded more like a sob on his lips. She tried to focus on him, but her eyes wouldn’t obey. She could see his outline, the shadow of him against the artificial light of the cargo bay.  
  
She jolted up again, only to meet his unrelenting palms as they held her in place. The Ascendant! They were in the middle of a battle and they needed to move, now! Her head pounded a sharp, stabbing pain on the left side that convinced her to lie still and reminded her that she’d over done it on the biotics. Again.  
  
“Heart and respiratory rates are high, but organ function appears normal.”  
  
“I’m fine,” she said. Her throat hurt, and the words were ragged on her tongue. She shoved at Reyes’ hands on her chest, but his fingers were rooted in her bodysuit, clinging to her as much as holding her down. She could no sooner remove them than she could get her eyes to focus on his face.  
  
Someone lurched up into her view, blocking out the light and pushing Reyes back from her. She reached for him, a weak whimper in her throat, but his hand was in hers before she’d even lost sight of him.  
  
“I’m here,” he promised. His voice was broken, and for the first time since that night in Ditaeon, Sara saw Reyes cry. She wanted to sit up, to wrap her arms around him and never let go, but Scott was above her and yelling.  
  
“Jesus fucking Christ!” He shouted, his face red with fury and blood, and tears streaked on his cheeks. Then he hugged her, tugging her up to a seated position. “Don’t you ever fucking do that again!”  
  
“Ryder,” Joh’Zolan barked through their comms. “What’s happening?”  
  
“Give us a moment, Uncle,” Laela’Vaar answered. She stood at Sara’s feet, staring down at the three beaten and bloody members of her squad.  
  
“We don’t have a moment,” the Quarian Pathfinder snapped.  
  
Sara pat Scott’s back and managed to remove herself from his grip. She sat up, her head spinning, but she was upright and conscious. It was a start.  
  
“Report,” she said over the comm. Her voice hurt, like her vocal cords had been scraped with sandpaper, but she was able to speak the word loud enough for Joh’Zolan to hear her.  
  
“Archon was ready for us,” the quarian said. Some of the fog of nearly dying started to wear off, and Sara noted the exhausted defeat in Joh’Zolan’s voice. “Kett forces have us pinned down.”  
  
Sara tried to stand. “We’re on our way,” she said, but Reyes’ hand was on her shoulder. She looked up into amber eyes expecting to see hard anger. He would be furious that she insisted on pushing herself, that she could never make the call to sacrifice anyone but herself.  
  
But Reyes wasn’t mad. His lips were drawn tight beneath cheeks still wet with relieved tears and his eyes were wide, begging her to stop. He never said a word, but Sara knew she wouldn’t be able to deny him. She had put him through enough. She had been through enough. And, he was right: she was in no shape to stage a rescue.  
  
“Negative,” Joh’Zolan said in her ear. “This is the distraction you need. Get off this ship and blow it to hell, Pathfinder.”  
  
“Uncle!” Laela shouted.  
  
Sara sat still for a moment, her mind struggling through the mess of the last half an hour. “You never planned to survive,” she whispered. “You left Zoldat behind so SAM could transfer to him.”  
  
“No,” he said. “SAM will transfer to Laela upon the event of my death.” His voice was quiet, resigned, and if she wasn’t mistaken, there was a hint of pride.  
  
“Uncle, please, don’t do this.” Laela’s filtered voice was thick enough that it sounded almost clogged in her respirator.  
  
“I must,” he said. “Just as you must get the Keelah Si’yah safely to Heleus. You must find our people a home, Laela.” There was a pause, and a few ragged breaths. “Pathfinder, I’ve already lost one child to these monsters. Please, make sure they never lay a hand on my daughter.”  
  
Laela choked back a sob at the words, and if she hadn’t been mostly dead moments ago, Sara was sure she would have cried. It was the most emotional speech she’d ever heard from the Quarian Pathfinder, and if she wasn’t mistaken, the same could be said for Laela.  
  
“I’ll keep her safe,” she promised. Scott stood and hauled Reyes to his feet. She didn’t miss his grimace of pain, or the way he kept his weight on his left side.  
  
“Thank you, Ryder. Keelah se’lai.”  
  
“Keelah se’lai,” she murmured, but the comm link was already cut. Sara exhaled, and then reached a hand up to her brother. Scott took her hand and pulled her to her feet, and it took all her concentration not to scream at the pain in her chest and sides. “SAM?” She asked once she could breathe again.  
  
“Third, fourth, and fifth ribs are cracked. Severe contusions on the sternum from cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Myriad contusions and abrasions,” The AI replied.  
  
Carefully, she searched for her biotics, pulling on the energy. But where she normally felt a well of power within her, there was nothing. “SAM, what happened to my biotics?” She didn’t like the panicked tone in her voice, but she couldn’t help it.  
  
“In order to prevent permanent tissue damage, the link to your implant was severed.”  
  
“Severed?”  
  
Reyes was there suddenly, an arm on her shoulder pulling her from the spiral of her frantic, terrifying thoughts. “Later,” he whispered. This close, she could see the blood on his mouth and cheeks, hers she realized, from when he’d performed CPR. “We need to go.” His voice was so quiet and firm, but it was at odds with the haunted look behind his eyes.  
  
She stared at him, afraid that if she looked away she wouldn’t be able to find her way back to him. She wouldn’t be able to climb her way out of the nightmare this mission had become. And then he laced his fingers through hers and tugged.  
  
“Let’s go,” he said. And all she could do was nod. She was too overcome to do anything but follow him out of the cargo bay and back toward the Tempest. All she could do was follow him home.  
  
  


Reyes ignored the pain in his ribs and his ankle as he followed Scott back through the Archon’s ship. The sniper was careful and precise, the opposite of his twin in so many ways, and normally he wouldn’t dream of taking point. But, his Sidewinder was out and at the ready as they bobbed through cover and ducked down hallways towards the Tempest.  
  
Laela’Vaar took up the rear of their little procession in silence. She hadn’t said a word since the Quarian Pathfinder had said his farewells. But her submachine gun was out and primed, ready to cover them if they were attacked. That was all Reyes could ask of her.  
  
His fingers were twined with Sara’s as he pulled her along after him. It was the least contact they’d had since she’d coughed back to life and he found himself frequently looking back at her, as if to reassure himself that she was still there.  
  
That she was still alive.  
  
He turned his head to glance at her, and frowned at what he saw. Sara was pale, her face a mess of smeared and dried blood. Her hair fell from her braid in frantic wisps, blood climbing up the strands like a plague. Her blue eyes were wide and far away, looking far too large in her pasty, blood-smeared face.  
  
He squeezed her hand in his. It took her a moment, but the touch was enough to pull her from her thoughts. She blinked at him and then squeezed back.  
  
It was enough for now. He just had to get her back to the Tempest alive. Lexi could help them with all the other damage this mission had caused, so long as Sara was alive at the end.  
  
His mind couldn’t banish the image of her lying lifeless before him. He’d managed to pull her back, just barely, but it could have ended so much differently. He didn’t kid himself by imagining this mad dash back to the Tempest without her; if Sara hadn’t come back to him, he knew damn well that he wouldn’t leave the Archon’s ship alive either.  
  
It was a sobering realization. It is one thing to say he loved her, one thing to feel it, and another thing entirely to know that without her, he would consider his life forfeit.  
  
“Hurry up,” Scott called back over his shoulder. “Just one more room and we’re home.” A flash of blue light enveloped Scott, a Barrier, Reyes realized. He’d never seen Scott use his biotics so freely, but without Sara’s the squad was at a disadvantage.  
  
Sara gasped behind him. Reyes met her eyes and felt a crack form in his heart. Her eyes were focused on Scott, on the rippling blue energy that welled around him. Her eyes were wide and glassy with unshed tears. He pulled her to him, tucking her head under his chin and ignoring the flare of pain in his ribs.  
  
He shushed her softly as she cried. “You’ll get them back, Sara,” he murmured. He didn’t know if the words were true, but he didn’t want to imagine a future where Sara couldn’t use her biotics. They were a part of her, as intrinsic to her identity as her raspy voice and her laugh that broke halfway when she found something truly hilarious. Without her biotics, Sara wouldn’t ever really be herself again.

  
He had to believe she would have them again, and so did she.  
  
Scott waved them through the next room and hailed the Tempest. “Kallo, get ready to get the hell out of here!”  
  
“Aye aye, Ryder,” Kallo replied, though his voice was thinner than usual.  
  
“Scott,” Lexi’s voice was firm and soothing over the comm. “SAM has kept me apprised of events. I’ll be waiting for you in the cargo bay.”  
  
“Roger that,” he replied.  
  
“Is Ryder okay?” Peebee’s voice cut through the conversation.  
  
Scott glanced back at Reyes and Sara. Sara wasn’t crying openly anymore, but she still clung to Reyes as they hobbled together back toward the Tempest. Reyes shrugged slightly at Scott.  
  
“I don’t know,” the younger twin admitted to the asari.  
  
“That’s enough chatter,” Vetra cut in. “Get your asses back on this ship and let’s go!”  
  
The squad didn’t need telling twice. Despite their various injuries, they picked up the pace until the Tempest was in sight. The ship hovered just beyond the barrier of the flagship’s docking bay, and Reyes felt such a rush of relief at seeing it, that his knees nearly gave way.  
  
“We’ve got eyes on you Tempest,” Scott said.  
  
“Roger that,” Kallo replied. The ship’s thrusters fired up, and the Tempest spun slightly as the pilot backed the ship up to the kett docking bay. The cargo ramp didn’t descend until the back half of the Tempest was inside the bay, but it was perfect timing for the squad to run up it without breaking stride.  
  
Lexi met Reyes and Sara, taking the Pathfinder from him with strong hands. “I’ve got her,” the asari said when Reyes didn’t release her.  
  
He nodded, but didn’t let go of Sara’s hand. He half expected the doctor to chastise him, but instead she gave him a sharp once over, and then nodded back to him. He must be in worse shape than he thought if Lexi was giving in to his protective streak.  
  
Gil sprinted toward Scott, the fastest Reyes had ever seen the engineer move, and Scott caught him. They hugged, and Scott actually lifted his boyfriend from the ground, spinning him slightly. When he set the engineer down, they were both breathless with relieved tears.  
  
“Marry me?” Gil asked, his hands on either side of Scott’s helmet.  
  
The cargo bay fell into stunned silence. Scott removed his helmet, but didn’t say anything.  
  
“I thought you were going to die,” Gil said. “And all I could think about was how I was too foolish to ask you before you went on this fucking impossible mission!”  
  
Scott stared at Gil for a moment more, and the engineer blushed under the scrutiny. He rubbed at the back of his neck and looked down at his shoes, about to say something when Scott grabbed his face and pulled Gil’s lips to his.  
  
“You’re an idiot,” Scott said once they broke apart. “A fucking genius, and an idiot.”  
  
Gil smiled, but the confident swagger was replaced with tremulous hope. “Is that a yes?”  
  
“Figure it out, genius,” Scott said, then kissed him again before the engineer could ruin the moment with anymore talk.  
  
The Tempest changed direction so quickly that everyone in the cargo bay swayed. Sara shook her head once she and Lexi were steady again.  
  
“The bridge,” she rasped.  
  
“Absolutely not,” Lexi said. “Your injuries-”  
  
“The mission’s not done,” Sara snapped.  
  
The doctor blinked at her, and then looked to Reyes for backup. He kept his eyes on Sara, studying her expression. She was the most lucid he’d seen her since she’d come back to life beneath his palms. If trudging up to the bridge would keep that determined fire in her eyes, instead of the blank chill that’d plagued her the whole way back to the Tempest, then he would help her get there.  
  
“Come on,” he said, tugging gently on her hand where their fingers were still intertwined. The softest of smiles curled at her lips, and it was the most beautiful thing he’d seen in his entire life.  
  
The walk up to the bridge took entirely too long, though it was only a few moments. Once there, Sara stood at the galaxy map, staring out the view port at the Archon’s ship.  
  
“SAM,” she rasped. “Are we beyond the blast radius?”  
  
“Yes, Ryder,” the AI replied.  
  
She nodded, and suddenly she looked so tired. The weight of two clusters rest on her shoulders for far too long. Reyes longed to take it from her, to lift her spirit up, to know her as she was before Andromeda had saddled her with its every problem.  
  
She met his eyes, and then looked over his shoulder. “Pathfinder,” she said, nodding to Laela where she stood in the doorway to the bridge.  
  
The quarian shook her head. “Not yet,” she said. “SAM has not transferred to me. Joh’Zolan yet lives.”  
  
Sara turned to look at the ship, her expression pained. “I’m sorry, Laela. Do you want to try to reach him?”  
  
There was silence for a moment, and then Laela stepped into the room, shaking her head. “No,” she said. “My uncl-” she paused and took a deep breath, “my father said all that he wanted to.” Piercing blue lights behind the quarian’s mask locked onto Sara. “All I can ask is that we give him a good death.”  
  
Reyes didn’t think dying surrounded by Kett was a good death, but he would hardly say so. Besides, the adrenaline of the past few hours had finally waned, and the fiery ache of his ribs and ankle was steadily growing impossible to ignore.  
  
Sara nodded once, then turned back to the view port. “SAM, detonate the charges.”  
  
“Yes, Pathfinder.”  
  
No one on the bridge made a sound as five points in the Archon’s ship spurted flame and then ejected materials into the vacuum of space. There were more bursts of fire as more of the ship’s critical areas malfunctioned. SAM narrated the critical failures aloud to the bridge, but Reyes only half-listened.  
  
Sara never once looked away from the wreckage, not even when Laela gasped and went rigid beside Reyes.  
  
“SAM,” the quarian breathed a moment later.  
  
“Yes, Pathfinder,” a cool, automated voice with the lilting accent of the quarians replied.  
  
“Please inform Zoldat and the Pathfinders that the Keelah Si’yah can finally go home.”  
  
“At once, Pathfinder.”  
  
Laela didn’t linger after that, and Reyes suspected she would be holed up in Vetra’s room down in the cargo bay for a long time.  
  
“Ryder?” Kallo asked once the bridge was empty of everyone but the pilot, science officer, Reyes, and Sara.  
  
“Set a course for Heleus,” she said. She turned away from the carcass of the Archon’s ship and set her tired eyes on Reyes. “Let’s go home.”  
  
He nodded to her, and then held his out hand. She inhaled, as if steeling herself for what came next, but she took his hand. He stared down at where their fingers laced together, both coated in dry, flaking blood and smiled.  
  
Her hand was warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: A long time ago, I said Sanctified was the final installment of Santa Sarita. I was wrong. There's still one story left. Follow me on Tumblr @himluv, and/or bookmark this series to get updates.
> 
> Thank you all for your dedication on this wild ride. We're almost done.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna stop pretending I know how long this thing will be, because it just keeps growing. But, I won't be orphaning it so just be patient. The end will come, eventually.


End file.
